The Story of The Salamander
by The wiErDos Association
Summary: In every tale has a legend and every legend has a story. Join in the adventures of Natsu Dragneel alongside with his newbie goddess as they live their lives with their friends and explore the wonders of the dungeon.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here and I've got another crossover story for you all. This is a crossover between Fairy Tail and Danmachi. Because of their fantasy-based themes, it gave me a perfect idea to write a fanfic about it. Plus, a similar story was also made by one of my favs. authors in the site, Maximillian Havisham. Support his/her story as well since this was also an inspiration from his/her work. On the side note, I'll be taking different turns for this story as well.**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading** **J**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

* * *

 **\- Beginning of an Adventure -**

 _..._

 _"Natsu, I want to build a familia."_

 _"Familia?"_

 _"Not just any familia. I want to create a familia that would cherish others―!_

 _A familia that would look out for each other and care for each other..."_

 _"Will you help me?"_

 _"Of course!"_

 _..._

* * *

The world is full of adventures.

Lands stretch far towards the horizon, bearing many dangers that could kill you with a single mistake. Regions of different environments carry various types of hazards that were completely dangerous for humans to tread on.

It's everyone's dream to become an adventurer. A perilous journey towards the unknown is what makes it exciting no matter how dangerous it is to them.

It is a dangerous goal indeed but it doesn't stop brave adventurers from moving further to their future and experience their own adventures.

And at a certain long time ago, the gods from the heavens have descended to the lower world in order to live with their "children" and to seek thrill and excitement. In exchange for that decision, they denied themselves of their divine power and decided to experience the hardship that the lower world has offered. They also gave them "blessings", a power to fight monsters as another exchange in becoming their servants.

Thus, the formation of familias was born.

And this is where the story of our adventurer begins.

...

Located beneath the tower of Babel lies the dungeon. And within that dungeon lies a young man with pink hair. He wore a sleeved black waistcoat with a pair of white knee-length trousers that covers down his lower body. A scaly scarf is seen wrapped around his neck as it flutters across the tunnel. The sounds of his footsteps echoed loudly through the silent halls as he chased an elusive creature that is right in front of him.

"Get back here, you little runt!" He shouted angrily as he gave chase further down the tunnel, ignoring the other monsters that are slowly appearing in the walls.

It was a small creature, almost like a bunny but with red eyes and having a black fur that enables it to camouflage within every dark corner of the dungeon. It was fast too―so fast that it could outrun any human within just a few seconds but the man was able to keep up the pace as he desperately tries his best to catch up to it no matter what.

Soon afterward, it took a small turn to the left, leading to another tunnel. The man followed suit as he kept his eyes locked towards it like a hunting predator.

A few moments later, the creature found a dead end. It stopped in its tracks as soon as it saw a huge wall right in front of it, leading it with no way out from the pursuer. It also didn't take long for the man to reach it as he gave slight pants in between before looking at the creature with cold-blooded eyes.

"You're not getting away this time..." He voiced out in intimidation as the creature took a step back against him.

 ** _CREAK* CRACK*_**

Out of nowhere, a couple of cracking sounds were heard from the walls as the man looked around and saw monsters pouring out from all directions. The man instantly recognized them as Kobolds due to their dog-like appearance.

In addition to that, they bore sharp claws and a small menacing growl can be heard from among them to intimidate any adventurer who comes across them.

They all began to circle around the two as more of them came crawling to the wall. Other types of monsters like Goblins and Killer Ants also began to appear alongside with them, bearing different appearances and dangers as well.

"Oh come on! Why now of all times!?" The man complained angrily as the monsters surrounded him on all sides in just a few seconds.

However, there's no other choice for him now as he proceeded to raise his right fist and glared towards the approaching monsters with a determined gaze.

"Heh, I'm all fired up! Come at me, you monsters!"

As if to respond to his words, the monsters all began to lash out against him simultaneously, raising their claws to maul him down. But just as they were about to reach him, the pinkette jumped high in the air, leaving his original position in a swarm of deadly claws that missed him. In mid-air, he soon began to raise his right fist as it was immediately coated in fire, swirling around like a small fiery whirl.

 **"Blazing Fist!"** Calling out the spell at hand, the pinkette descended down to the ground and smashed his fist down, causing an explosion within the area. The blast sent many monsters away with some completely obliterated from the impact and the heat it caused. Bodies flung around like ragdolls due to the small shockwave.

The man landed back to the ground as soon as the dust settled. A couple more monsters are still left standing and tried to attack continuously.

The pinkette swept to the side to avoid two monsters clawing him from behind, barely missing them as they stumbled forward.

This gave him the chance to attack their unguarded side as he began to pick something from a small pouch located on his waist and threw two small daggers. The daggers hit their marks cleanly at the center as the two monsters fell down before vanishing into thin air.

More monsters were spotted from the corner of his eyes. His swift reaction gave him enough time to deal with the remaining monsters around him as he carefully took down each one of them with ease. Using both his fists and legs, he easily dispatched them in quick succession.

As soon as he took out the monsters near him, he looked over to the charging monsters in the distance, prompting him to a stance as he began to gather air around him.

 **"Fire Breath!"** Another quick chant was invoked as he briefly inhaled air into his lungs before releasing a stream of flames towards the monsters. Flames rampaged across the area as it engulfed the monsters wholly, burning them out of existence.

The flames shone brightly for awhile before dissipating into small little embers, leaving the area where the monsters once stood up into a burnt place.

The man breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he managed to eliminate the swarm of monsters.

That was the last of them for now.

Multiple magic stones lay within the room which was left from the defeated monsters. It was the leftover of every monster that is defeated in the dungeon.

"I guess that's the last of them... Hmm?"

He spoke to himself before glancing around the area in confusion. At that moment, his eyes widened as soon as he realized what he had done.

"Oh, crap! I completely forgot about that monster!"

He held his hands over to his head in horror after realizing that the creature he was chasing is already out of sight. It was one of the rare monsters that spawned within this floor and the chance of encountering one is―well quite rare.

To let himself preoccupied in fighting while missing the fact of nearly catching the rare creature, the pinkette could only kneel down on the ground in despair.

"Shit, I got carried away..." He sighed afterward before looking back to the place where he fought the monsters.

"...Guess I'll head home for now." He proceeded to loot the magic stones instead and forget about the creature. There's nothing for him to do now that the monster was no longer in sight.

It's been too long since he entered the dungeon. He ought to return back to the surface and call it a day.

His Goddess might begin to worry as well.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The Labyrinth City of Orario is famous for its underground dungeon. Countless people of all races from all over the world came to this city to become adventurers. Humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits, chienthropes, lycanthropes and even gods and goddesses themselves all integrate with each other in this giant city. It's the only place that has an underground dungeon.

The Babel Tower sits upon the center of its location which separates the dungeon and the surface. Some say it was built to prevent monsters from getting to the surface and that many adventurers explore the underground dungeon, seeking their own adventure.

Of course, not every people wanted to become adventurers themselves. The city also had a huge influence in terms of economic worth. Other people find great opportunities to start their life here and there are various things to make a name for yourself even without becoming an adventurer.

Although, the reputation of being an adventurer is much more influential than most of the people that live in here because of the existence of the dungeon below.

Adventurers brave on perilous journeys and fought monsters to gain fame and excitement and also bring glory to their familia. It was every other people's dream to become someone who is revered as a famous figure in the eyes of many.

Natsu, however, thought differently of this dream.

He came into this city in order to become someone who can protect those who are in need. The young pink-haired man doesn't care much about fame or titles. He wanted to become strong in order to fight for the ones he cared. Though he has more many ways to go.

The world is a vast place, full of things that are learned and experienced by anyone. He wanted to overcome them and keep pushing his limits in order to reach the place he wanted to.

Learning things in the outside world is also one of the things he wanted to experience besides his original goal. Natsu wanted to see more of this big world he currently lives on and starting his life as an adventurer is one step in reaching that goal he had set on upon his departure.

Meeting with other people also became one of his desires that prompted him to travel into this city.

It was one of the things that got him interested when he first came in the city.

...

It didn't take long for him to reach back to the upper floors as he walked on the long staircase, leading him to the base floor of the Babel Tower.

Natsu didn't waste any time as he went for a sprint outside and headed northwest of the city towards the Guild―specifically, to its main building.

He arrived a few minutes later as he saw several adventurers who were also trading their magic stones. The place offers the trade of magic stones and other valuable items in exchange for valis. Every adventurer has to venture to this place to get their money from their experience down to the dungeon. In addition, the Guild simply holds everything that is connected to the dungeon itself.

"Oooiii, Eina! I'm back!" Natsu called out from the entrance as soon as his eyes sighted onto a woman dressed in a uniform just behind on one of the counters inside the building.

She was a half-elf due to her pointed ears being noticeable at first glance. She had shoulder length brown hair and emerald-colored eyes. A pair of glasses is seen in her eyes which added a bit of a charm on her part in which he always thought as good-looking for her appearance.

Eina shifted her eyes onto the source, leaving her papers right in front of her as she greeted the beaming adventurer.

"Ara, Natsu. You're quite early today. I thought you would come late as usual."

"Well, you know how Goddess often worries about me staying up late in the dungeon without telling her beforehand," Natsu spoke in response, his hand placed right at the back of his head as he stopped by at the counter.

"Well, that's to be expected. Hestia-sama only worries because it's you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you're always being so reckless inside the dungeon without any care of your own safety at all. It's natural for her to keep worrying because of your actions, you know..." She gave a slight scolding remark, causing him to sweat nervously.

"Come on, it's just one time. I'm starting to give a bit of a caution since I've started on the 9th floor."

"But still, venturing out alone is quite dangerous and you're too fast going down each floor. You're still not yet in Level 2, remember? You'll never know when things suddenly got turn for the worse and you'll get in deep trouble just because you weren't careful enough."

"I know... But I can still handle it. I actually defeated a bunch of monsters earlier. I was at this small dead end while chasing this rare monster and they just appeared out of nowhere and tried to attack me but I easily beat them."

Eina drew a sigh.

"See? This is what happens when you didn't try to be careful. That place you were referring to is just one of the trap areas where monsters spawned spontaneously apart from other places of that dungeon floor."

"A-Ah, is that so?"

"It is... Have you been paying attention to my lessons a few days back?" She finally looked at him in a suspicious tone which caused the pinkette to sweat nervously again from her gaze.

"W-W-Well, somewhat..." He answered in an undertone.

Clearly, he wasn't listening to her lectures that time as well.

Eina released another weary sigh. It's really difficult to keep someone like him intact when he has no awareness of such dangers the dungeon might bring him.

...

It's been two months since she became his advisor. And from those times she spent with him, it seemed like she'd stumbled onto a really strange adventurer. Who would've thought that he would be this reckless?

It's quite fortunate that he didn't get killed in the last month prior to her first day as his advisor. His brash attitude always gets him into trouble no matter where he is.

Be it a human or a monster in the dungeon, Natsu had a knack of stirring trouble right into himself. From what she heard, he often picks a fight with at least two adventurers a day. Everyone could've assumed that he's some sort of a troublemaker himself and likes to pick on other adventurers because of certain reasons.

Eina knew Natsu didn't mean any ill will to other people.

At first glance, he isn't really the type of person who would do something wrong. The only reasons for his constant bickering with other adventurers are either on challenging them or that something that he deems unacceptable is done right in front of him.

It was one of the things she first noticed about him.

Natsu is a kind person at heart and also very caring especially to those close him. Eina could tell it from the first day she met him. He doesn't have this kind of distortion inside him unlike most of the adventurers that come and go around here though he always has the same glint in his eyes of venturing into the unknown which was the half-elf's constant source of worry all the time. He always travels alone without a party and keeps pushing to venture deep down to get stronger.

Despite his nature, he doesn't necessarily go out when he wants to. After all, he had other priorities other than just defeating monsters to get stronger. He also continues to live his life fully alongside with his Goddess despite their living conditions.

He always puts her wellbeing above all else.

It's such a wonder why he hasn't gotten any friends yet. The only people who are close to him are her and his Goddess. I mean, who would not befriend someone as protective and kind as him?

The half-elf could only point out several points why he hasn't made any friends yet.

―Still, Eina looked forward to the day where he would come to make some friends as well and care for them just as the same as he always does towards her and his Goddess.

Her lips curled upward as she thought about that.

"Listen, Natsu. The dungeon is full of unexpected dangers so you have to learn and think carefully before venturing further down, alright? It is very important for you to return back here in one piece because there's someone out here waiting for your return, don't you think?" She advised, her face showing that of a kind sister that looks after her sibling. Her tone softening as she gazed at him in reassurance.

"Well, I guess you're right on that..." Natsu muttered in an undertone.

"See? That's why you have to be prepared to whatever things that might happen in the dungeon. You need to extend your knowledge and learn from experience just before you can venture out to the deeper floors."

"Yes, ma'am..."

Eina sighed once again after seeing his slightly dispirited look and simply placed a hand over to his head which was hung low right in front of her. Natsu looked up in mild surprise as soon as he lifted his face and gazed at her smiling face.

"You should take it easy, Natsu... Becoming strong doesn't always go by with just a short amount of time. You're always hardworking and that's something that you should be proud of too. You can experience a lot of things while doing it at the same time, you know. There's more to life than just wanting to become stronger." At her words, his old self eventually returned back as he grinned towards her with a renewed gaze.

"Yes!"

Eina smiled once more after seeing him finally cheered up. She actually liked him more this way.

"That's more like it! Now let's have your magic stones traded and be on your way." Natsu nodded as both he and Eina went over to the counter and traded all the magic stones he earned for today's exploration. The pinkette took the valis from the plate as he proceeded to count the total value.

"13,000 valis, huh?"

"That's actually kind of impressive. That's double the usual earnings you get every day and probably half of the usual earnings within a party of Level 1 adventurers, you know." Eina added in surprise.

"Well, I got lucky with the monsters I fought with earlier so there's a lot to loot afterwards." Natsu dryly laughed.

"If you managed to acquire this much, this means that you're already making great progress."

"Really?"

"Hnn..." She nodded with a smile.

Taking her words to heart, Natsu clenched on the valis he was holding onto as he thought deeply. Although he was relieved to hear about his improvement, it wasn't enough for him. The current strength that he has still doesn't make him that any stronger. After all, there are other people who are stronger than him. He wanted to work hard in acquiring the strength to stand alongside with them.

"Thanks for everything, Eina... I think I'm ready on what to do from now on." He gazed back with a determined expression.

"You're welcome... Just know that I'll be always here to support you, okay?"

"Sure... Then, I'll be heading back. I'll see you tomorrow!" And with that, he left the building as Eina watched his fleeting figure disappear into the distance.

She smiled inwardly as her mind thought deeply for the pinkette.

"Good luck, Natsu."

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Natsu headed straight down on the west road leading to a large portion of ruined buildings. Huge temples that were left abandoned, letting nature take its course are seen all around. Years of abandonment have left these structures into disrepair and a number of people wandering in the area are close to none.

The pinkette simply went on his way until he found a small church located between huge towering structures.

Like all other buildings, the church was also left in a ruined state. The walls were chipped off from all places and the mosses present within its surfaces are prominent. The interior isn't as good as its outside appearance either as the place housed several broken benches where it was once seated by patrons a long time ago.

Once revered as a place of worship, it is now reduced to nothing more but a wasted space waiting to be enveloped as part of the ruined section of the city itself.

Natsu walked through the broken doors as he silently made his way through the front near the pulpit and into a secret door that leads to a basement down below. A series of stairways are revealed as the door opened. He walked down the stairs as his eyes eventually sighted towards a small room.

The place was only fitted with a few basic things needed for a person to live. A small bed, a worn-out couch, a wooden table and several more furniture that housed their necessities. A few candle torches are seen hanging from the side of the wall to light up the room.

Natsu finally walked down before a smile appeared on his face as he entered.

"I'm home, Goddess."

"Waaaah, you're back Natsu-kun!" A feminine voice echoed in his ears as he saw a silver blur coming right past below him and tackled him through his abdomen.

Thanks to his past experiences, he was able to maintain his posture as he looked down to see the person who was hugging below.

It was a petite girl, probably having a height level just at his chest. She had a pair of blue eyes and light black hair that is tied into two twin tails, held by two white-blue bows resembling that of flower petals. Her attire consisted a white mini dress with a blue ribbon tied around her neck. She also wears a pair of gloves with the same color pattern with her dress. While there are other features that can be seen through her appearance, the most noticeable were her unbelievably huge breasts.

And that's to say that her appearance may look like that of a teen but she was in fact, a goddess as he calls her.

The goddess's name is Hestia. The goddess of hearth.

"I thought you were up late again in the dungeon."

"Not this time... I think I already did well so I thought about taking it slow for now."

"Well, that's good... I'm just glad that you returned home safely. You don't suppose you have any injuries on your exploration today, have you?"

"A little bit of scratch here and that but I heal up pretty quick so it's all good. You don't have to worry about it."

"Is that so? Then, I'm glad you're okay. Actually, I have some good news for you, Natsu-kun!" Hestia beamed, earning his confusion.

"Good news?"

She nodded in between to confirm his words while also having a confident smile present on her face.

"Fufufu... You see, just now, I finally managed to pay off Hephaestus' debt on me." Her lips curled up even further as she said that. Her eyes sparkling at the news being brought out to him.

Apparently, Hestia is indebted with one of the goddesses that helped her during her initial days after descending from the heavens. Even after being given a place to start her own familia, she borrowed money from her in order to maintain her living in the lower world. And with Natsu recently joining to her familia, the debt was also placed on his head to pay it all off.

Natsu can't say he was surprised when he first heard of this but eventually, he started to work hard to pay off her debt and stayed in her familia despite all that.

On the other hand, the news of having all of their debts paid actually means a good thing. Unlike from before, they cannot use much of their money because of the debt being paid for it. And the only time they can waste their own is to buy food and other necessities.

And now that they're finally free, they can finally start focusing on renovating the church and expand their familia.

Because of that, Natsu could not help but break into a smile.

"Seriously?! But how did you get it all paid off?"

"Fufu... I got an extra boost from my work so I got to pay it all back to Hephaestus at an early time. Of course, I saved some for our food today so don't worry about it."

"So that means, we don't have to waste our money for the debt, right?"

"That's right! Starting from now, we will earn for our familia's growth."

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted excitedly before remembering something. "Oh, by the way, I also made some money on my own. I got lucky this day too."

Pulling out two huge pouches, he placed his own earnings in the dungeon which made Hestia a bit surprised in the process.

"Wow... 13,000 valis! That's double the earnings you've got."

"Yup! Since we can start on our own, we can use our spare money to repair this church and start from there."

"Well, I can't help but agree to that but are you sure you don't want to buy any armor yet? I'm a lot worried about your current gear right now. It's also a lot convenient to wear some armor other than some light clothes."

Hestia took notice of her child's current outfit which consisted nothing but a waistcoat and trousers to cover his body. Aside from the scaly scarf that is usually wrapped around his neck, he doesn't have that much protection which made her slightly worried. The thought of seeing him venturing down to the dungeon every day without any armor on is a bit concerning.

"Iya, I think I'm fine on my own without wearing one. Plus, my body's pretty tough so I don't get that much injured that often. I can still use my daggers for other things but this is all I need to go out there, Kami-sama."

"I know that but still―" She was about to continue until Natsu cut her off.

"That reminds me, can we go check my status for today?"

"Huh?"

...

After settling down his own belongings, Natsu went over to the side of the couch with his waistcoat off, leaving him semi-naked right in front of Hestia who started examining the status written behind his back.

Hestia could feel her nose bleeding in effect at the sight of the pinkette's lean but muscular structure. She knew he was a bit of a buff person but in every situation she had the chance to witness his semi-naked form, it only gives her a bit of a flustered side. Not to mention, Natsu doesn't seem affected being seen through at all nor that she actually sees him embarrassed at something.

Goodness, the lower world is full of surprises and irresistible children...

She tried to shake off her current thoughts and tried to focus on the hieroglyphs seen on his back.

This was the god's blessing, also called, Falna which was the gift from the gods and goddesses in exchange for their desire to live here in the lower world. Natsu received his falna after joining Hestia Familia. All gods' blessings are equal regardless of the god's status and standing in the familia rankings.

Hestia gave a drop of blood from her finger with a needle in order to activate his status. The hieroglyphs on his back soon began to glow in blue color in which also shows a rotary wheel floating above it with the numbers of each basic abilities he currently has, appearing as well.

 **...**

 **Natsu Dragneel**

 **Level 1**

 **Strength: E488 – D514**

 **Endurance: D520 – D590**

 **Dexterity: D510 – D577**

 **Agility: E498 – D525**

 **Magic: A844 – A868**

 **Magic**

 **[Flames]**

 **Skill**

 **[...]**

 **...**

"Your stats are steadily growing fast as usual... This is great news, Natsu-kun!" Hestia beamed delightedly as she finished scanning through the changes and placed a small sheet of paper right on top of his status to copy it down.

It took only a few seconds as the status checking was done. Natsu sat up straight as he looked over to the paper handed to him by his Goddess.

"You're right. I did get some huge points this time."

"Your magic is already nearing to S status while still having great increases on the other basic abilities. It's quite strange since mages don't usually have that much improvement on their other basic abilities other than magic but yours seemed to defy all of it. On top of that, you're fighting barehanded most of the time." Hestia pondered in thought.

"Is that really much of a big deal?"

"It is! Statuses like these are very rare to come by and even some of them eventually turn out to be strong adventurers in the future. With this kind of increase, I think you'll be able to become strong in the future too." She exclaimed.

"Strong, huh?"

Natsu wondered for a second as he momentarily gazed up at the ceiling in deep thought. He eventually recalled Eina's words to him back then. Even though she said to him about taking it easy, he just can't stand still looking the same as he is for too long. He wanted to acquire the power he needed to help his familia grow strong and expand within the city.

There were numerous other familias that have a high standing and influence around this city but there were also others just like them who started out as small ones. And in those familias, even the gods or goddesses themselves needed to work on their own living in order to maintain their small familia. Adventurers rarely join on such weak familias like theirs though they can't blame them for that. After all, most of the people tend to seek fame by joining in a much more popular familia in order to make a name for themselves.

They simply don't have the time to work hard and do little things that aren't going to help them in their quest in becoming famous.

For Natsu, he doesn't think it like that.

Being part of a familia is like being a family with their gods and goddesses. It's not a simple give-and-take relationship between servants and gods. It's like being part of a god's family that forms strong bonds between them and their children.

Natsu considers Hestia as one of his own family.

Ever since he was left alone by his father, he had no one to rely on. She was the very first person who came to his life and made it brighter. She gave him a new home to live in this city. Her kindness brought back the hope that was lost from him after failing a lot of attempts to join a familia.

She was the turning point of his life.

"Oh, that reminds me, did you get some interesting quests today?" Natsu finally looked back at the petite goddess in anticipation.

"Oh yeah! Here, I got a perfect one for tomorrow's quest." She passed another paper from the table as the pinkette looked at it to read the contents.

"...It's a clearing quest." She added.

"Eliminate all monsters in this area." He read through the instructions along with a small map drawn below it. "Sounds like they want to clear another trap area."

"I knew you would like these types of quests so I'm glad I chose it." Hestia smiled.

"Aren't you a bit worried about me lately? You said I should be careful around in the dungeon." He asked.

"Well, I am but knowing you, I believe you can do it. Plus, no matter how much I advise you, you would still continue venturing deeper down in the dungeon, you know."

"Don't worry about me, Goddess. Have some faith in me." He reassured.

"I know... That's why I'm letting you off on this one. What matters is that you return back here in one piece, alright?" She reminded. Her worried expression faded into a smile as soon as the pinkette nodded excitedly from her response.

"Of course!"

"Then it's settled! With the extra valis from the quest reward, we'll be able to earn for real starting now."

"Yosha! I can finally go all out in the dungeon tomorrow!"

...

Night descended and the lights within Orario lit up on nearby pubs and other late-night shops that continue to attract customers. Most of the people returned back to their homes to rest for the night.

Natsu faced the ceiling in deep thought as he rested on the couch, thinking about the future ahead.

He then gazed towards a small bedroom just right in front of him where he saw Hestia sleeping soundly in her sleep. A small blanket was placed on top to protect her from the cold. Him, on the other hand, didn't get much affected by the temperature, probably due to his nature as a fire mage.

"Mhm,~ Natsu-kun. This crepe is sooooo good~" He could hear her mumbling his name for some reason.

She must be having a great dream.

The pinkette soon turned his gaze back to its original position whilst lifting his right hand above him. His face adopting a determined look as he thought about their future.

 _'For my goddess and for our familia... I'll become strong.'_

* * *

 ** _The next day..._**

* * *

Morning had dawned and Natsu already ventured to the 7th dungeon floor to start his day. He held on the paper at hand as he walked through the tunnels leading to the place where the extermination of monsters should take place.

...

After waking up early, he immediately prepared himself as he went outside the church while bidding farewell to his Goddess who was still sleeping. Every morning was exciting for him since he wanted to get into the dungeon as fast as possible to train himself and gather as much experience as he can get in order to become strong.

Of course, he still took heed of his Goddess's words of venturing down to the dungeon.

He walked through the familiar streets of Orario as several adventurers also began to flood the area, seemingly heading in the same direction as he is.

"Now what should I do later?" He asked himself as he walked wistfully to the streets with a pondering look.

"...Maybe I could go for the 13th floor but Eina wouldn't be happy about it once she heard it, though."

He sighed for a moment, thinking about his dilemma until a voice caused him to stop.

"Um, excuse me. Is this yours?"

A feminine voice resounded from behind as Natsu glanced around and saw a woman standing near him.

She is a human girl with bluish gray hair that she keeps tied under a small knot with a ponytail style. Her eyes are the same color as her hair and she has a light peachy colored smooth skin. She had a cute face which was accompanied by a leaf-colored maid outfit with a pair of brown boots and black stockings to cover for her bottom part.

For a moment Natsu thought about distancing a bit due to how close their faces are. The girl doesn't seem to mind the closeness which he finds it a bit weird for some reason since he was a stranger to her.

Though his attention soon turned towards the item in her hand.

"A magic stone?"

"You dropped it. It's yours, right? Here..." The girl spoke, her voice sounded soothing as Natsu scratched his head after taking the stone from her.

He's pretty sure that he traded all of the magic stones yesterday. Rather than that, he didn't hear anything falling off his pocket though.

However, he set aside his thoughts for now and eventually thanked the girl in front of him.

"Thank you... Sorry to bother you. I guess I'm pretty careless about my things here." He laughed dryly.

"Ah, it's nothing really... I'm happy to be of help." The girl smiled as she said that.

"I see... Then, I'll be on my way! Thanks again!" He was about to sprint ahead until she called her back.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Umm... Are you an adventurer?"

"Well, yes I am. Why do you ask?"

"Wait a moment here..." She said as she took off towards inside the pub in front of him. Natsu tilted his head in confusion as he waited for her to come back.

A few seconds later, she came back carrying some sort of a lunch wrapped in a cloth in her hands.

"Here!" She hastily handed it to him without hesitating. This made him even more confused.

"Uhhh, why are you giving this to me?"

"Well, I just noticed you've been clutching your stomach when you passed by so..." She turned her gaze away from him while fidgeting for some reason.

The pinkette was surprised by her attentiveness since she was able to tell other people's situation just by looking at them. True enough, he didn't eat anything since he was in a hurry to finish the quest today.

Though he wondered why she would give this to him since they never met before in the first place.

Maybe it's because of her friendly behavior that she could easily approach people without much of a problem no matter who they are.

"T-Thanks, I guess..."

Natsu reluctantly accepted the lunch box as he held it in his hands until she continued to speak again.

"It's no problem! But in exchange, make sure you come eat here tonight, alright?"

"Huh?"

"It's a promise, okay?"

"Well, it's not like it's going to hurt to visit here... Sure, I'll come by later!"

"Thank you!"

"Ah, it's already this late. Sorry, I'm going on ahead. See ya later!"

Looking at the time, Natsu eventually made for a sprint towards the dungeon, leaving the girl behind who gazed at his disappearing figure in the distance.

"Ah, I forgot to ask his name..." She mumbled as she stood there for a few moments before a voice called her back inside the pub.

"Hey, Syr! What are you standing there for? It's almost time for the opening."

"Y-Yes, I'm coming!" She replied before turning back to the direction where the pinkette had run off to.

 _'Pink hair, huh?'_

...

The dungeon is usually teeming with monsters. In every place, the walls of the dungeon itself spawn monsters in a certain amount of time that attack wandering adventurers that come into contact with them. With each deeper floors, the interval of the spawning slowly decreases, making it difficult to travel down each floor since monsters frequently appeared every now and then. Not to mention, the level of difficulty of the monsters themselves also changes in each floor as well.

Natsu easily made his way down to the 7th floor. It didn't take him much time to finally reach a dead end. The space within the area, however, is much more spacious than the tunnels he ventured.

"Hmm... I guess this should be the place then." He finally stopped looking at the paper and decided to take a look around the place.

There was no sight of any monsters in the vicinity just yet but the silence around him somewhat gives him a bit of a tense feeling for some reason as if something was about to happen any second now.

 ** _CREAK* CRACK* CRACK*_**

Just as he thought, the walls begin spewing out monsters as they spawned right out of the surface from all sides. Even the ceiling was crawling with large ants as they all descended down to the ground and surrounded the lone adventurer in just a few seconds.

"Killer Ants, huh? This should be a piece of cake." He said as he tugged the paper right down to his pocket and moved into a stance as the monsters slowly approached him from both sides. He sunk his body down with his knees slightly bent down as he carefully looked at the sheer number of monsters in his surroundings.

For a normal adventurer, this would call for a suicide mission but Natsu had already exceeded his abilities to reach the 9th floor so any monsters from the upper floors should be easy for him though that doesn't mean he should underestimate the Killer Ant's huge numbers.

Unlike much of any monsters on the 7th floor, this monster usually attacks in large groups and when one of them is on the verge of death, they can release pheromones that could attract more of its kind to assist them in a fight.

New adventurers that have come across these creatures often lost their lives being swarmed by them so most of them tend to kill these creatures as fast as possible before they could attract more monsters.

Natsu coated both his arms in flames as he faced the Killer Ants in determination. His eyes lit up readily to face the monsters in front of him.

"Let's do this! I'm all fired up!"

Without a moment's gaze, the pinkette fearlessly charged in as he blasted several Killer Ants away with his flame-coated fist. The giant ants were easily swiped away like flies as Natsu pushed through with his magic, incinerating them that came into contact with his flames. Any attempt to get close to him are treated with a dose of fire spells.

However, despite all the overwhelming advantage he had over them, their numbers are continuing to increase as more Killer Ants appeared from the tunnel as well, increasing the overall number of monsters within the room.

 **"Fire Breath!"** Natsu shot a wave of fire to lessen their numbers while also giving him a path in order to prevent himself from getting surrounded.

He sprinted fast towards the direction of his spell as the Killer Ants tried to chase him down from behind.

"Let's see if you can deal with this!"

Arriving at a corner, Natsu jumped high and walked through the walls swiftly before pushing himself away in mid-air, looking down at the swarm of ants looking up at him in confusion. He clasped both his hands ablaze as he formed a medium-sized fireball and swiped it down towards them.

 **"Flaming Ball!"**

The monsters below were left to watch as the blazing fireball descended down before engulfing them in a fiery explosion. Huge shockwaves were felt as the explosion shone for awhile before fading as the Natsu landed down on the burnt ground after releasing his spell. Natsu landed back on the ground surrounded by remains of dead monsters in his vicinity. His eyes soon turned over to another mob of monsters charging in his position.

At that moment, he began to collect air into his lungs once again as flames circled around his mouth, charging up his roar once again. His black onyx eyes glared next to the advancing monster as he let loose the flames in his mouth.

 **"Fire Breath!"** Another blast of flames simply engulfed the powerless Killer Ants as they stood witness in a sea of flames before dying. Their bodies evaporated at the intense heat as the temperature rose up in the vicinity, turning the ground into a smoking field. The spell raged for a moment before settling down, leaving few scattered embers alongside with the remains of the magic stones in them as the pinkette cleared the trap area alone.

Natsu heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the battle was over.

"Mission accomplished..." He spoke, seeing the area finally devoid of any monsters. It'll probably take some time for it to spawn more monsters again. At least, this won't pose any dangers for wandering adventurers for a short while.

He grabbed the magic stones left within the fight and proceeded back to the 5th Floor.

...

After making his way to the 5th dungeon floor, Natsu simply trudged along the path leading back to the upper floor with his mind thinking of today's dungeon exploring. It hadn't been that long since he ventured down so he probably thought that it's too early for him to get back. A number of magic stones he got from the trap could cover the same earnings he got from yesterday.

He didn't actually expect to earn the same amount two days in a row. Anyone would be amazed if they managed to earn that much and that's to say that he's still a lone adventurer. That's probably a lucky occurrence for him, considering that he works solo until now.

―The mention of the last thought suddenly caused him to ponder.

"Comrades, huh?" He muttered the words underneath his breath as he slowly walked the silent tunnels with multiple thoughts in his head.

There's a lot of people out there who form parties with others. It's a basic tactic for those who wanted to venture deeper to the dungeon where monsters are getting stronger for just one person. Even the strongest familias have their own parties that consisted more than just two or three persons.

It could've gone beyond fifty or so and that's saying something. It just made him realize just how difficult it is to venture into the deeper floors, facing more powerful monsters that could kill you in a single swipe. He was aware of the advice given to him by Eina a few weeks back since it's beneficial for him to have at least one to cover his back.

―Yet, the pinkette never considered wanting anyone to join him.

He never thought the idea once nor did he have the plan to recruit one.

After all, he was unfamiliar of everyone. He had little connections with other familias aside from his own and a few others. In a sense, he's still trying to make friends. Most of the people he encountered were rather rude and pitiful. He didn't like their attitudes and their constant boasting against weaker adventurers are which mostly resulted to brawl fights between him and them.

For him, it's really hard to make friends with anyone, considering the rumors circling around him as some troublemaker amongst the adventurers.

Though there are still some people who see him differently from the rumors but most of it are easily overshadowed with talks and murmurs from people who hated him in the past.

Natsu could only release a disappointed sigh.

"I wonder if I could create a party some day..."

He occupied himself with other things in his mind until he began to notice something.

"Nh? Strange... Is it just my imagination?" For sure, he heard a roar coming from the tunnels.

He stopped for a moment to carefully observe the unusual noise.

"Kyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

A scream was soon heard from one of the tunnels as he immediately gazed towards the direction in caution.

"A scream?"

It sounded like a cry for help.

Natsu didn't even need to hesitate as he ran towards the source to find out. As he neared towards it, he began to hear another voice but―

 ** _RRROOOOAAAAARRRRR*_**

He heard it loud and clear, it was definitely a sound of a monster.

It didn't take long for him to finally reach the scene as he saw three Level 1 adventurers being cornered by a monster. Two of them were male and the other was a petite girl, seemingly acting as their supporter judging from the huge backpack seen on her back.

However, Natsu's eyes widen in disbelief as soon as he recognized the monster.

"A minotaur?!"

Why there is a minotaur in the upper floors?

His focus on the monster was soon cut off as he concentrated on the adventurers who were being confronted with it.

"Get away!"

One of the adventurers tried to push back in a hopeless attempt but he was simply punched away to the side with a single fist from the minotaur as it looked straight to the other two who witnessed their comrade get swatted away like nothing.

"S-Somebody help us!" The two could only cower in fear as the minotaur stood in front of them, roaring viciously towards them.

But before it could even touch the two, a crimson blur was seen from the corner of its eyes as Natsu delivered a flaming kick towards its face, causing it to tumble to the side.

The minotaur was sent away in a fair distance as Natsu landed on his feet, saving the other two just in time.

"You guys alright?!" He turned towards the two scared adventurers who could only nod in response as soon as they were saved.

 ** _RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRRR*_**

Their moment of peace was suddenly cut by a chilling feeling as they heard a menacing roar from the minotaur who stood up from its feet and glared at the culprit who just attacked him in the face. It let out a growl towards him in response as soon as he managed to find his composure.

The other two were easily overwhelmed by fear from its dreadful presence as it growled angrily towards them with red-glowing eyes.

Of course, anyone would've easily felt that way, considering that it's a monster from the middle floors. Natsu had no idea how such a monster could've made onto the upper floors but... he knew that the situation wouldn't just end here like that.

He made sure of that after noticing the minotaur's eyes fixated on him.

"Hey, you two... Go get your friend there and head back to the surface. If this continues, you might get killed." He spoke to the two who could only look at him in disbelief.

"H-Hey, don't tell you're going to fight that thing... It's too strong! It's a monster from the 17th floor. We're no match for that thing!"

"Well it is certainly strong but that doesn't mean I don't have a chance," Natsu smirked.

"Are you crazy?! You're gonna get killed!"

"I don't plan on dying yet but I also don't plan on leaving you guys out here with that monster. Now go!" Leaving those words behind, Natsu dashed towards the monster in full throttle.

"I'm all fired up!"

The minotaur raised its fist and tried to slam the approaching pinkette down but he was able to dodge to the side as the fist connected to the ground, missing him in the process. This gave the pinkette the chance to attack as he set his right fist ablaze and punched the minotaur squarely to its abdomen.

The monster gave a howl of pain as it was forced to stumble backward and glared at his opponent in anger.

"Oh man, you sure are a pretty tough one. I give you that."

Natsu remarked seeing his attack didn't send the giant monster flying.

It gave another loud roar as it charges towards him at full speed with its horns. Natsu smirked as he pressed both his hands against its head, thus, avoiding its deadly horns, however―

The force of the attack was too much for him to handle as his feet skidded away and lost its ground, causing him to slowly skid towards the wall behind him. Natsu gritted his teeth as he found himself being forced to a corner, struggling from the minotaur's charge against him.

If he fails to get out of the way, he won't have any room to face the monster and will be cornered in the process.

"Tsk, don't you underestimate me!"

Shouting in anger, Natsu poured effort towards his hands as he tried to lift the minotaur of its feet to stop its charge. Flames engulfed his body wholly as he tried to fight against the charge.

His feet finally came to a stop, eventually stopping the minotaur's charge as well. The flames on his body quickly dissipated and at the same time, the minotaur was slowly floating off balance from its feet.

The two onlookers were left in wide shock as they saw the pinkette lifting the minotaur off its feet with only his own arms. A newbie adventurer wouldn't be able to do such a feat due to its massive weight. For them to see someone easily stopping a minotaur with just his bare hands is unbelievable.

The monster was left in a confused state as it tried to wriggle its way from its tormentor.

"How'd you like to have a taste of the ground?!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Natsu then slammed the minotaur back to the ground as he swiped both his hands down along with the monster, causing a small dust cloud to where the monster was slammed into.

It gave a howl of pain as it tried desperately to stand up again but it could only watch as the pinkette enveloped himself in flames and raised his fist once more.

 **"Flaming Fist!"**

He sent another punch towards its abdomen, sending enough powerful force that sunk the minotaur's body further into the ground. A small dusty explosion resulted after that.

A couple of seconds passed and the dust began to settle. The wailing roar died down as soon as the battle came to a close, leaving a medium-sized crater where the minotaur lay unmoving.

Natsu stood right near the defeated monster as he gave heavy pants after using more spells. The flames eventually vanished from his body as he poured all his magic power in that one punch. The strain on his body immediately kicked up as he knelt down on the ground in exhaustion.

Lifting that monster was definitely a hell a lot of effort to do as well. It was pretty reckless of him to actually take it head on since he could've collapsed under its weight if he didn't exert more power.

However, just as their battle was thought to be over, he immediately noticed a slight movement coming from the defeated monster.

Natsu widened his eyes in realization as soon as the minotaur slowly rose up to its feet and growled once more. Its red eyes spun awake and his body began to move once more.

"Damn... It wasn't enough..." He cursed inwardly as he now felt powerless after exhausting his magical reserves.

What's even worse is that he stood next to the monster who still have some fight in it after that one final attack. One more spell and he would've experienced a mind down afterward.

"Tch, guess there's no choice!"

Deciding to use another spell, Natsu flared up in flames again to finish the wounded minotaur until a flash went by and easily slashed the monster into multiple pieces in just a second.

Natsu couldn't follow through the number of slashes in that short duration as his eyes widened over to the sight of the minotaur being eviscerated in a blink of an eye. Blood splattered on the wall as pieces of flesh were cut into little pieces before vanishing into thin air, leaving behind its magic stone afterward.

Moreover, his eyes now turned towards a lone figure standing next to the defeated monster. Her golden hair fluttered across the battlefield as she gracefully brandished her sword and placed it back from its hilt. Her battle attire consisted that of a head guard located over her head and a breastplate together with arm guards, hip guards and knee guards. Covering her legs was a pair of long blue boots where the knee guards are located.

Natsu could feel a strong presence emanating from her, prompting him to assume her strength as that for a First Class Adventurer.

It was then, the woman herself started to look over to his direction, specifically to him as if she wanted to look at him for some reason.

"Ah..."

The pink-haired boy could only voice his confounded surprise as soon as he saw her looking at him.

Their eyes met for a moment until he turned over to the two adventurers tending to their injured member. He averted his gaze from the female knight and went straight to the party to help.

...

On the other hand, the woman seemed to react a bit after the pinkette abruptly cut off their gaze and watched him run towards the injured party.

"Oi, Aiz! Are you finished yet?! We're regrouping with the expedition group once we're done here!"

"Aiz! Let's head back. Riveria might scold us for staying around for too long."

Two of her companions called out from the other direction. One of them sprinted over to her after failing to hear a response from the golden-haired knight.

"What's wrong, Aiz? Is there something on your mind?"

"Tiona..."

"Come on, let's head back. The others are waiting for you."

"Just now, that boy..."

"Boy?"

"Iyaa... It's nothing."

She set aside her thoughts about the pink-haired boy as she started walking in the opposite direction where the rest of her comrades are located.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The day progressed normally without any problems as Natsu reported back to the Guild about what happened.

"Natsu!"

Eina called out from the entrance of the Guild as soon as she saw the pinkette standing at the counter, seemingly waiting for her. She recently returned back after relaying the report she got from him about what happened on the 5th floor.

"Ah, Eina... How's the report going?" He asked.

"It's been taken care of. Apparently, one of the familias that were sent in the expedition caused the minotaurs to flee to the upper floors by accident. They managed to wipe them all out before they could encounter any more adventurers from above." She explained.

"Well, one of them did." Natsu huffed.

"I'm really worried, you know. After hearing that you confronted a minotaur alone, I couldn't help but worry. I told you to be careful, right?!" She exclaimed in worry.

"It's fine... There are other adventurers out there who took care of that minotaur."

"And in addition to that, I couldn't believe that you actually fought it alone. Just how reckless can you be?"

"It's not like I didn't want to do anything about it. They were in trouble so I had to help." He reasoned.

"Well, that's certainly true but you have to consider your own safety too. Who knows if you were critically injured in that fight."

"Right, right... Sorry for confronting it alone but I don't want to stand there and let those people get hurt. You may scold me for whatever things I've done back then but I'm still not changing in turning down any help when it matters."

Natsu sighed with an upsetting look. Eina could only look at the pinkette in concern but eventually softened her expression after hearing those words from him.

"That's just like you, Natsu."

"Huh? You're not mad?"

"Well, I am but it's hard to get mad at someone like you. How can I say it? Well, you are always genuine with your feelings. Never backing down in reaching out a hand to others even if they're strangers to you. It's always been like that, isn't it?" She smiled softly that caused him to slightly blush in response.

"I-I guess so... Anyways, I'm sorry about what happened. I'll try to be careful next time." He apologized yet again.

"Hnn..." She nodded. "...Leaving that aside, how's the quest going?"

"Ah, that. I already went to the client to get the reward. I got 15,000 valis from it." He explained.

"That's great! Now let's get those magic stones traded." She urged him to follow as they try to make their way over to the exchange counter until Natsu asked again.

"Hey so, I wanna ask about something, Eina."

"What is it?"

"Do you know any female adventurer with golden hair?"

"Eh? Why do you ask?" She was taken back by surprise as soon as he asked about it.

"Well, one of the adventurers that took care of that minotaur was that woman. I just wanna know her name since she saved us from it."

"Well, there are many adventurers with golden hair. Can you give more details about this person you're referring to?"

"Hmm... Let's see... She wears an armor and some guards in her head, arms, and knees. She also had this long blue boots―"

"Ah, you must be referring to Aiz Wallenstein." She immediately realized. Natsu could only tilt his head in confusion from the sudden reply.

"Aiz what again?"

"Aiz Wallenstein."

"What a weird name..." Natsu pondered in thought.

"It's not like yours are any different too, you know." She teased.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Natsu Dragneel... It's a name that rarely comes by in these parts, don't you think?"

"My name's not that weird. What about yours, huh?!"

Natsu pointed accusingly at Eina who simply giggled at his antics.

"Fufu... Now, now. Well, leaving that aside, why do you want to know her name by the way?"

"Ah, nothing in particular. I just wanted to know if how strong she is."

At that question, Eina's giggling expression suddenly vanished and was replaced with a rather serious look towards the sweating pinkette who noticed the sudden change of expression.

"Don't tell me―you're challenging her to a fight, aren't you?"

"A-Ah... That―W-Well, not kind of like that. I-I just want to test out how strong she is." He poorly excused himself as Eina could see through his expression.

"Natsu... Don't even think about challenging her right off the bat. She's one of the strongest adventurers that is currently leading the expedition on exploring uncharted dungeon floors. In other words, she's one of the strongest adventurers here in Orario." She warned.

"R-Really? I didn't know that."

Eina held her hands to her head tiredly. As expected of him, he knows nothing of the other adventurers' statuses around the city.

"Anyways, I'd advise not to get too much involved in her too, you know. She's part of one of the strongest familia in this city too. The Loki Familia."

"Heeeeeeeh? That's kinda cool. Where do I sign up?"

"Huuuh?! Aren't you already with the Hestia Familia?! Don't tell me you're that kind of person, Natsu?!" She replied in shock.

"Just kidding! Calm down. I would never leave my goddess over something like that." Natsu reassured as he passed his remark as a mere joke that only made Eina sweatdrop in response.

"Muuoo... You're really stubborn at most times." She sighed yet again though Natsu simply responded with a grin which also earned her to give a smile of her own.

After a few minutes of talking, they eventually parted ways as Natsu traded all his magic stones and went ahead. Eina stood in the entrance, observing him as he disappeared into the distance. A smile was seen on her face as she watched him.

"You two are getting quite along too well."

A feminine voice soon cut through her train of thought as Eina turned towards one of her co-workers who was approaching towards her.

"Misha."

Calling the name of the pink-haired woman standing beside her, Eina looked towards her in mild surprise as soon as she came into view. "What's the matter?"

"Fufu... Still hard on him as always, Eina-chan." Misha teased.

"It's for his own good. But no matter how I try, he always gets too far on things. I wonder how he would be able to handle his own without my help." She breathed in exhaustion as she released all the tension from her body to relax.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" She asked teasingly which caused the half-elf to look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're probably too concerned for him that you don't want him venturing too much in the dungeon."

"Well, of course, I am. I'm his advisor after all so I had every right to be worried all the time." She protested.

"Not that... What I mean is that you're trying to get as much close to him since he's been pretty busy of late. Not to mention, the closeness you two have for each other even though it's just been a few months. Quite the development there, I tell you."

Hearing that, Eina couldn't help but blush as she tried to recompose herself in the process.

"W-W-What are you talking about?! I-It's not like that!"

"Hai, hai... Eina-chan is sure uptight about her feelings."

"I suggest you worry about your own matters rather than looking at other's relationships. You still have a pile of papers to sign later, just to remind you."

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa! Don't make me remember that! I don't wanna!"

"No can do. You're going to sign it all even if it takes all night for you to finish it, understand?!" Eina ordered which caused her to bow her head in depression.

"Uwaaaa! Eina-chan's so mean!"

"Stop whining and get to work, alright." The rest of the day went by as the two co-workers continued on their duties until night descended once again.

Despite her conversations with Misha, Eina still kept her feelings aside for a reason. She knew she didn't mean any harm but a certain memory of her past reminded her of the same situation that would happen between her and Natsu when they get too close.

She didn't want to experience it again and most of all, she didn't want to lose him either.

...

Natsu walked through the busy streets of the West Main as most of the pubs and shops were located there. By far among the four Main streets of Orario, the West Main is usually the most populated. Adventurers and other people walked through this street to enjoy themselves of a nice meal throughout the exhausting adventure from the dungeon.

He arrived at the pub where he encountered the waitress that morning. He looked over at the sign which read the pub's name.

"Benevolent Mistress, huh?"

He peered at the entrance, seeing different people eating and drinking inside, possibly to spend their night celebrating with others.

He clutched onto his scarf before walking inside.

"Ah, you're that adventurer from last time! Welcome!"

Out of nowhere, a voice suddenly came from the side of the entrance, surprising the pinkette after seeing the same girl who handed him the magic stone earlier.

"You're the girl from last time."

"Yes!"

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Syr Flover. You are?"

"Natsu Dragneel... Natsu is fine."

"Then, Natsu-san. How about you take a look inside. We have foods and drinks here for everyone." Syr smiled as she gestured her to walk inside.

"Thanks... I was getting hungry anyways."

The two went inside as Natsu took a vacant seat near the bar counter and began ordering his own meal for tonight.

It didn't take long as his food was served down right on the table. The smell of the aroma entered his nose, smelling its tasty flavor. He took a spoon and gulped down a piece of meat to taste it.

"Delicious!" In just a few moments, he began to chomp down his food as he kept on eating like a hungry wolf.

"N-Natsu-san, you might need to take it slow for a bit!" Syr who was somehow standing right next to him spoke after observing his eating habits.

"Swowwy, it's jhust delicious fur mesh..."

Natsu spoke as he gobbled food onto his mouth in which made her giggle despite the silly response.

"Oh, so you're that boy Syr was talking about earlier."

It was then another voice was heard as the two glanced towards large woman wearing a blue waitress uniform, much different from the other waitresses. She had brown eyes and a long brown hair that is usually tied around the back of her head. She also had a rather muscular body compared to the rest of the waitresses.

She placed down another bowl of meat right next to the pinkette as she approached his table.

"Hmm? You know about me?"

"Of course, you were Syr's main topic throughout the day when you were out in the dungeon."

A blush went creeping right into the grey-haired woman's cheeks as she peevishly looked at Mia in protest.

"I-It's nothing like that, Mama Mia!"

"I don't get it..."

Natsu murmured in between their conversation until Mia finally gazed at him carefully as if she was observing him.

"It's pretty rare for someone having pink hair. You're not from around here, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yeah... I came to this city to become an adventurer."

"Hnn... Very much like of the people who came to visit this city as well. It seems most of them aspired to become one after settling inside."

"Is that so?"

"That's right. On the other hand, be sure to pay up all your orders. Don't let any single food left on your plate and absolutely no refills or **else…** "

For a moment, a chill went up in his spine as soon as he noticed her tone of voice briefly changed at the last part. He might need to put up a note on not messing with that woman or any of the workers in this place or he might stir some really big trouble if he did.

"Y-Yes... sure. I'll do just that." Natsu agreed which somehow calmed the woman.

"That's the spirit! Syr will accompany you now. Be sure to thank her later for waiting for you all day, alright?" And with that, Mia walked back to the other counter but not while before putting down another set of food right next to him in which he didn't order.

Natsu immediately knew why Syr would invite him here.

"1,300 valis worth of food for tonight!? Goddess isn't going to like this."

Natsu sighed as he counted the value of his dinner and simply started eating despite many protests inside his mind.

Judging from how he was being treated inside, it almost seemed like he was being coerced to buy more food. Good thing he earned a lot today but the expenses on the food was just unbelievable for him.

"Sorry about that... Mama Mia tends to be talking a lot when new customers come to the pub."

"Don't worry about it. Though I don't wanna know what would happen if I get into her bad side." He shuddered.

"Oh, you noticed?" She giggled.

"It's not funny... She's too scary."

"I wouldn't say it out loud if I were you. She doesn't like anyone talking behind her back, you know." Syr warned.

"I-Is that so? I'll keep it in mind."

"So how do you feel about the place?"

"Pretty lively. Makes me want to return here because of the food. I might invite Goddess too if I had the time." Syr could only giggle in delight from his response before speaking.

"Then, you'll be visiting us from now on?"

"I don't get what you mean by that but yeah."

"I'm glad!" Natsu could not help but feel a bit confused to Syr's overjoyed expression. He assumed that she always does these kinds of stuff in order to have their patrons coming back to their pub by acting nice almost to everyone.

Still, he appreciates her kindness and seeing her happy somehow makes him kinda relieved in some sort of way.

After a few minutes of eating in the pub, Natsu eventually began to bid his farewell on Syr as he stood right outside the entrance while facing the girl standing right in front of him.

"Thanks for the meal, Syr. That was great!"

"I-It's nothing worth thanking me really. I just did my job as a waitress to keep my patrons happy during their stay. You don't have to go that far, Natsu-san..." She answered with a flustered expression as she turned her gaze away from him in embarrassment.

"I'm just expressing my thanks to you, Syr. Even it's just a small thing, I'm still grateful to it." He grinned wide, causing her to blush in response but quickly hid it from him as she kept her head down to prevent him from noticing it.

"...Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, Syr." He pressed a hand wave towards her as he proceeded to walk back to his home until she called him back.

"Natsu-san!"

"Hmm?"

"A-Are you coming to the pub tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"T-Then, can you come by early in the morning?"

"Sure, no problem! I'll stop by before heading to the dungeon. It's not like this is our last meeting. I'll look forward to tomorrow." Hearing those words, Syr could only smile light-heartedly as she gazed at the pinkette in joy.

"Me too!"

She watched him disappear from the corner as soon as he started walking away. Syr smiled underneath her breath as she thought about the pinkette.

"Thank you, Natsu-san."

...

Natsu eventually arrived back at the abandoned church and went to meet with Hestia as he walked down to the secret basement where he saw his Goddess dusting off the dirt from the walls to maintain the cleanliness of the place.

As soon as he arrived, she eventually stopped her current work and launched herself towards him once again.

"Ah, Natsu-kun! Good evening! You're quite late today. Did something happen in the dungeon?" She began asking different questions, most of them concerning about his own well-being.

"Well, there are things but it was fun nonetheless. How about you?"

"I earned a lot on my job today but it's not enough."

"Well, I got my reward money from the quest so no worries."

He reassured her as he took out a large pouch from his pocket and handed right to her.

"Wow... It's just like the same as yesterday. You're quite lucky to obtain this much money for our familia even though we just started... Is something on your mind lately?"

She said, noticing the rather solemn look on his face as he gazed at her carefully.

"Well, sort of..."

Natsu muttered blankly before looking at open space right in front of him in which she finally began to notice what he had been feeling lately, especially towards their familia.

A moment of silence went by between the two until Natsu looked her straight in the eye with a renewed expression.

"Kami-sama... I want to become stronger."

A determined face that she found shocking caused the goddesses to blink her eyes in surprise since she never actually saw him being really serious about something until now so she stuttered.

"N-Natsu-kun?"

"Not just becoming stronger. I want to help our familia―no, I want to help you."

"H-Help me? But aren't you already doing enough?"

"Yeah but... I still think that I'm lacking enough effort. I want to work hard too... For our familia to rise up with the others. I know that it's a long and hard way to do so but I want to do it no matter what. Although I'm glad to see we're starting our way, I still want to make it further."

"Why do you want to push that much?"

"Because I want to fulfill your dream?"

"My dream?"

"Didn't you forget? You said that you wanted to create a familia that would care for their comrades. You wanted to build a place where everyone could enjoy themselves―a place where you would want to have a family. Not just me but for others as well."

He reminded as Hestia looked at him in shock as soon as she recalled her memories with during their first meeting.

It's been awhile since she heard him talking about their promise. That time when the two of them created the Hestia Familia with him being the first person to join and help her when she was having trouble back then.

That remembrance made her realize his current thoughts about their situation.

It was pretty understandable and she couldn't help but agree as well but...

"Kami-sama, I want to support your dream because I also felt the same way. I'd like to meet other people and have fun with them. If we're to start from now on, I'd like us to expand our familia but recruiting people who are interested in joining us."

That's what she was worried about.

If they were to recruit some people around town, she wouldn't have any time to enjoy with him alone. For a time, only she and Natsu were the ones who represent their familia until now.

There's a system that evaluates each familia's rankings based on the number of their members and levels. For the Hestia Familia, they're labeled to be in the lowest rank due to having only one member. One cannot simply rank up with just a member's level. It needs a lot of other people in order to raise it further to become a strong and influential familia. That's what most of the current strong familias have to stay on top.

It seems like Natsu thought about it for quite awhile now. Hestia could not help but be surprised at his change.

He must've worried about her that he wanted to work hard for the sake of their future.

She could only sigh in response.

"Alright... It seems like you've been thinking about it for quite some time so I think I should focus on this matter as well. I'll leave the recruiting to you but―" She paused.

"But?"

"You have to consider the criteria of that person you're going to recruit."

"Huh? What sort of criteria?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"First, it doesn't have to be a female."

"Huuuuh? Why?" He asked but she ignored it and continued on further.

"Second, if it does happen to be a female, you'll have to introduce me to her so I can tell if she had any motives on making a move on you, clear?"

"I don't get the second one but I'll make sure to introduce her to you."

Despite her ridiculous conditions, Natsu nodded at her instructions before hearing something from her mumble.

"Muooo... It would've been fine if it's just the two of us for now..."

"Do you really think so, Kami-sama?"

"A-Ah, eh? F-Forgot what I said!"

Hearing him responded to her whisper, Hestia stuttered in panic before turning her gaze away with a blushing face. Natsu could only tilt his head in confusion at her sudden change of expression.

Moments later, she managed to regain her composure.

"Soooo... that's all?"

"Yup but Natsu..."

"Yeah?"

"Just make sure you have to be careful out there alright? All of this would come to nothing if you didn't come back. I don't want you to go. I don't want to lose you, Natsu. I don't want to be alone again... That's why..."

She muttered, showing her full concern towards him that made him blush for a bit.

However, he understood her feelings as he simply patted her head and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry... I'm not going anywhere. And I always promise to return to you. Even if takes long, I'll make sure to keep your promise, okay?"

Hestia could only hug him in return. Natsu welcomed her embrace as he patted her head.

What a pampered goddess.

Even though they're told to be eons of old, they still able to act like the same as humans are despite their divine powers―which was then sealed away after living down here on earth together with them.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I want a status check."

...

After discussing their matters, the two began their usual status checking as Hestia proceeded to update his current abilities.

"You know, it's been awhile since you last updated your status in a row. Most of the time, you would only want them checked every three days."

"Well, I've been wanting to improve a bit further myself. Plus, this is a basic procedure in checking someone's status, isn't it?"

"Well, that's true for most of the beginners but those with higher levels update their status rarely since it's kinda hard to earn that much improvement as they level up. Although it's just surprising of how you can easily change." Hestia continued as she focused on the hieroglyphs being shown to her.

"What do you mean change?"

"Iya, it's nothing to worry about..."

She continued analyzing until her eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"E-Eh?"

"What's wrong, kami-sama?"

Natsu noticed the shocked look on her face, prompting him to ask but it was ignored by the petite goddess who was seemingly occupied on the results of his status for some reason.

On the other hand, the twin-tailed goddess blinked her eyes just to see she was not hallucinating at the results of her child's growth.

 _'W-What is this? J-Just how_ ―"

She hid her astonishment inside her thoughts to prevent him from knowing what made her surprise just now.

She turned to focus more on his other abilities which had a rather unusual change from the ones she updated yesterday.

 _'This kind of improvement... This is just impossible!'_

 **...**

 **Natsu Dragneel**

 **Level 1**

 **Strength: D514 – B701**

 **Endurance: D590 – C655**

 **Dexterity: D577 – C610**

 **Agility: D525 – C628**

 **Magic: A868 – S901**

 **Magic**

 **[Fire Dragon's Flames]**

 **Skill**

 **[Flames of Emotion]**

 **...**

* * *

 **A/N: And here's the first chapter for you guys. This is my own take of the two crossover stories so there's still a lot of things needed to be tweaked. The major plotlines from both Danmachi, Sword Oratoria and FT as well will be included in time with some changes to fit into the story's mixed world of fantasies.**

 **While I liked the other DanmachixFT crossover, I think there's too much foreshadowing of mysteries circling around Natsu and that's interesting for some. Plus, the power levels seemed OP in a sense (though I'm not actually that far off). That's why I thought about having a similar story but it would focus more on a beginner scale (including my own set of plots of course). I'm not saying you should not read it but rather, let's enjoy on whatever type of story it brings since everyone has their own tastes of looking for stories that could make them wriggle from your seat, etc.**

 **Also, I know there will be also a talk of other characters from FT being brought up to me in time since much of the characters of the story takes on most to Danmachi. Don't worry, there will be some characters that will be introduced at a later time in order to fit into the story while at the same time, preventing too much character flooding.**

 **And lastly, you'll know damn well that it is a harem so that's that. I'll see you guys in the next chapter. ^^**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here and I've got the second chapter for y'all!**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

* * *

 **\- The Brim of Conflict -**

Hestia couldn't believe her eyes as she saw the numbers. An improvement like this is not normal―rather, it's phenomenal. Something like this doesn't happen to any adventurer no matter how much they try to improve themselves or kill monsters inside the dungeon.

There's a certain limit to how a human can gain experience however, she knew Natsu is a different kind of person in terms of his dedication towards gaining experience. He was hardworking and always thinks ahead of challenging stronger opponents than him. His fiery and confidence nature always gets him into that kind of environment but that isn't enough explanation for that enormous gain of experience.

What's even more shocking is that his abilities had changed dramatically.

Furthermore, he gained a skill.

"What's wrong, kami-sama?" Natsu asked confusingly at her shocked eyes which prompted her to snap out of her daze.

"I-Iyaa... Nothing's wrong... Just wait a minute, I'll be finished right away." She quickly hid her astonishment as she further examined his status.

...

Leaving aside the numbers, her eyes also took notice of the skill sector which before seen as empty now housed an unusual skill name.

 _'Flames of Emotion? What the hell does that even mean?'_

She heard that some adventurers gain skill despite even before being blessed with Falna by the gods. They called it an inborn ability―something that is inherent to the person which probably came from their heritage and race.

By giving them the god's blessing, those abilities appear as an additional set of skills which would advantageous despite only being at the lowest level.

She never heard of such skill before and it's certain that it's not part of the records that the Guild has listed down either. Something like this is what she would call as an unknown or a rare type. Moreover, the appearance of his skill seemed uncanny.

If Natsu was blessed with her Falna, the inborn skill should be able to surface at the moment of the ritual. However, his skill came in too late like it was delayed or some sort.

She never heard as something as a late skill development. Well at least, from what she heard from other gods.

She then traced her eyes over to its effects.

 _'Flames connect through the user's feelings. The stronger his emotions are, the stronger the flames will become.'_ She thought in wonder as she read it.

Certainly, this type of skill is suited for a fire mage user like Natsu. But how does he have this kind of skill?

Hestia didn't know much about Natsu except that he was traveling alone and searching for his father. Even now, he doesn't seem to be bothered by his parent's disappearance and even agreed on staying in this city to experience the interesting life and adventure.

For all she knew, he might probably be the son of a famous magic user at an unknown time.

She could only speculate.

Lastly, she looked through his magic which undergone a sudden change as well. Her eyes narrowed at the name of the magic he gained.

"Fire... Dragon... huh?"

"What?"

"A-Ah, iyaa... It's nothing. Alright, I'm done..." Finishing through the status check, Hestia pushed her hands down as the status faded away. She laid another paper down and copied the content.

Natsu slowly sat straight beside her as he waited for her to give him the result.

"Here you go."

"Thanks! Hmm?" He looked through the paper until his eyes suddenly popped out in shock.

"Eh? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

Hestia sighed at his reaction as turned her eyes away nonchalantly.

Well, she expected him to react like that.

"Y-You kidding me? Over a hundred?! No, it's more than a few hundred! Kami-sama, this is real, right?" He looked at her as if confirming his overall status. His eyes looking like he wasn't seeing it right so he turned over to her for confirmation.

"Yes... It's all true. Honestly, I was just as surprised as you. To think you would gain that much leap in just a day."

"R-Really?"

"Yep. Most adventurers take a lot of time and effort to get this kind of number and some of them don't even get that high enough before leveling up, you know." She reminded.

"I-Is that so? I guess it's pretty amazing, huh?" He calmed down for a bit before looking back at the paper in awe. "But still, I didn't expect that to be high. I even gained a skill."

"That's right. And a rare one at that too. Something that is suitable to a mage like you. I don't know what caused it but I think it's from the results of your experience."

"My experience, huh?" Natsu trailed off in profound thought as he traced his eyes back to the paper.

"Ne, can I ask you something, Natsu?"

"Hmm? Yeah?"

"Did something happen in the dungeon earlier? Something that you think was different from usual." She asked in curiosity.

The pinkette closed his eyes for a moment and tried to recall everything that transpired in his recent dungeon exploration. He placed a hand on his chin as he hummed in thought.

After a few seconds, he looked back at her.

"Well, there are a lot of things that happened honestly... I got a lot of hauls from the request paper you gave me last night..." He paused.

"Ah, I see... So that explains it." Hestia thought in realization behind his huge growth. It pretty much sums up the experience he gained in getting all those increased stats from the monsters. Considering he single-handedly dealt those monsters, it's quite plausible to explain this phenomenon.

She nodded repeatedly to herself, seemingly convinced but it looks like the pinkette wasn't finished yet.

"...Oh, and I fought with this minotaur while saving another party by the way."

"Umu, umu..." She bobbed her head in response. "Eh?"

Realizing it too late, she suddenly stopped moving as soon as she began to process his last statement.

"...D-D-Did you just say, minotaur?!" Finally, the thought sinks in as her bright face immediately turned into utter shock with her eyes blinking nonstop.

"Yeah... Did I say it wrong?"

Natsu, being oblivious to the gravity of the situation, tilted his head in confusion. The innocent look on his face was all that Hestia saw in him before her expression tilted in full force towards him.

"HHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Then all of a sudden, she raised her voice in complete disarray as Natsu jolted in response, probably because of her sudden change in tone of voice.

His face was bewildered as soon as he looked back at his goddess in confusion.

"U-Uhhh... Kami-sama?"

"A MINOTAUR, YOU SAY?! JUST WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING INSIDE THE DUNGEON?!"

And in just like that, her head fumed out clouds above as her face turned red, not out of embarrassment but rather out of dismay towards him.

"C-Calm down for a moment. I can explain..." He tried to reason softly but he was cut off as the petite goddess threw out series of scolding remarks towards him.

"LIKE HELL THERE IS! A MINOTAUR IS A MONSTER FROM THE MIDDLE FLOORS, YOU KNOW! JUST HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE MIDDLE FLOORS ALL BY YOURSELF?! ARE YOU INJURED?! DO YOU HAVE ANY WOUNDS?! IS YOUR BODY DOING ALRIGHT?! THERE'S NO POISON IN IT, RIGHT?!―" Natsu could only put up a sweated gaze as the petite goddess continued to pour out countless questions about his recent adventure. Her statements rambled nonstop and it looks like it doesn't seem fine to answer all of them at the same time.

He made a complicated expression as he tries to calm her down.

"It's not what you think. There's been an accident."

Upon hearing that, Hestia halted her complaints as she looked at him in confusion.

"Accident?"

"I guess you could call it that." He placed a hand on the back of his head as he continued explaining. "Actually, there was another adventure familia who unknowingly drove the minotaurs to the upper floors and I just happen to stumble to one of them before it got taken out though."

"Another adventure familia..." She trailed off in her words as Natsu nodded afterward.

"Yeah... D-Do you know them?"

"Well, I guess... There are few familias that I'm familiar with aside from the ones we often visit though most of them aren't exactly friendly to me."

"You mean, you're on bad terms with them." He corrected.

"You could call it that..."

"So there are familias like that, huh?" Natsu wondered in thought which caught her attention for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, it's nothing. It's just that there are such familias that aren't exactly on good terms with each other. I always thought that every one of them is friendly and helping each other."

Hestia stared wide-eyed at his words for a moment before returning back to her usual expression. Her lips curled upward before speaking to him.

"You know, Natsu... you really are pure at heart." She gave a soft smile, prompting him to look at her with a puzzled look.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, this is actually the first time someone had ever thought of such a thing. To tell you the truth, familias once worked together as one during the first days of its creation."

"Is that so?" He pondered as his face showed a hint of interest and curiosity towards her words.

"That's right. I wasn't here at that time so I have only heard it only in stories from other gods. It's one of the reasons why I started coming down here to see what it's like but unfortunately, more familias gain more influence and eventually decided to break off into different factions. They started working on their own and left the other little familias behind." Her thoughts trailed off from her mind as she reminisces the past.

Natsu, on the other hand, stayed vigorously intrigued. His eyes were sparkling as if like a child listening to a parent's tale.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeh... So that's how it happened." He drawled.

However, Hestia realized they were derailing off topic and prompted her eyes back with suspicion once again.

"Anyways, what do you mean by stumbled to one of them?"

Natsu paused for a moment before speaking.

"Well, you see, I just happen to spot some adventurers being threatened by a minotaur so I had to jump in and help."

"And then?"

"I fought it."

"Alone?"

"Alone..." He nodded.

Hestia placed a hand over her face.

She took a few moments to compose herself as she looked at the pinkette with a renewed gaze. Placing a pat onto his left shoulder, she began to speak.

"Listen Natsu... I know you're trying hard to become stronger but you have to consider your own safety as well. The dungeon is not meant entirely for an adventure. There will be times where the danger comes closer than you'd think and it will be too late for you to notice it which will endanger your life if you're careless." She paused.

"...I respect your desire and I will gladly support you along the way but you have to be careful at times. I'm happy that you're improving but you're still only one. Venturing alone in the dungeon especially in deeper floors is risky no matter how you think of it."

"But I never visited the middle floors yet..." Natsu sweatdropped.

She must've misunderstood his explanation.

"Yet... It doesn't change the fact that you're tempted to go in, am I right?" She smartly replied, preventing him to explain any further since a part of him wanted to go to the middle floors either way.

Even a goddess can easily see through someone's feelings if they wanted to. For Hestia, Natsu is just an easy person to see through his feelings. Just as he was kind at heart, his desires are easily read through without much of an effort.

"G-Guh..."

Hestia sighed, seeing his stuttered response over her words just now. Eventually, her lips traced a smile as she proceeded to hold both his hands and turned her gaze fully towards him.

"Natsu... I'm not saying that you should obey my words just because I'm your goddess. Humans are always changing no matter how much time pass. And because of that, many people tend to lose heart of their true goals and became blinded by worldly desires. Even your desire can blind you from all things around you."

"What do you mean?"

She said those words as if she saw it through experience. There's not even the need to look for similar ends. Almost all of other familias, especially to their children have these similar circumstances that they lose everything they have in them and become succumbed to their selfish desires.

People who advance further to their goals quickly change into something different. There are those who started with simple wishes in their lives but as they grew to the ranks of their familias, they forget what it is.

She could see through the others picking on the weak, stealing away from others and sometimes even taking someone's life without remorse.

The people she saw in them are nothing like they once before. Blinded by fame and other material things, they can no longer remember themselves and simply move on, leaving everything they cared about.

The same thing could happen to him.

She knew that he was just trying to become stronger and also trying to help her as well. But even someone like him could be lured into his own trap and became blinded as a result.

She feared the day that he would eventually leave her familia in order to seek more. That's why she was worried about his goal.

"Humans can be selfish regardless of how good or bad it is to them. I wanted to let you know that you mustn't do things only for the prospect of becoming strong. Think about what you wanted to do before coming here in this city."

Her advice is the same as that of Eina's. Her last statement suddenly got him to think about what he thought about coming into this city.

"What... I wanted to do..." He muttered as if rephrasing her words clearly as he thought deeply.

"Hnn..." Hestia nodded. "That's why, no matter how far you've come and how strong you've become, always stay true to your desires. Never lose your way and believe in yourself."

This was actually the first time they had a talk this much with each other. Natsu always thought that Hestia is merely trying to remind him of his safety but it looks like she was trying to remind him of a much deeper meaning towards his goals.

He still couldn't grasp much what she meant but her words gave him a realization in his pursuit of his goals.

Normally, he would've brushed it off for later and smile in reassurance but this conversation eventually got him pondered by a lot of things.

The goal he wanted to fulfill...

He could still remember it.

The dream to become strong in order to protect those around him and meeting other people with interesting lives. The thought resurfaced in his mind as he recalled his memories before entering to this city.

He looked down at the floor for a moment before adopting a renewed gaze as soon as he came to fully understand all of it.

With a warm smile, he shifted his eyes towards his goddess in gratitude.

"Thank you, Kami-sama..."

Hestia smiled with flushed cheeks as she suddenly hugged him by the neck in glee.

"You're welcome! I know you could do it! After all, you're my strongest child!" She showered him with many praises in a silly manner as Natsu smiled in response, letting the sweet atmosphere linger for awhile after finishing their discussion.

The rest of the night went on as the two eventually went to sleep. Hestia usually slept on the bed by herself while Natsu stayed awake on his couch with a small blanket placed above him.

As he watched his goddess doze off in her dreams, he continued to reminisce his thoughts about their talk from before.

His memories also made him recall the time he had with his dad before he disappeared several years ago.

―The time where he had some of his happiest moments in his life.

 _'I wonder what you're doing right now, pops...'_

He slowly held onto his scaly scarf, shifting it softly near beside his neck as he felt its warmth. This was the only thing that he reminded of him. Even now, he still wonders where he had disappeared into or where he is right now.

He didn't even have the chance to say goodbye.

A slight wave of sadness overtook him but just then he heard his goddess mumbling something again in her sleep.

"~NAshu... I waana guo... on a date~"

His eyes shifted to her already messy state as half of the blanket that used to cover her is now curled up due to her constant turning. He couldn't help but muster a warm smile.

Man, as a goddess, she can be sometimes a bit clumsy like this.

 _'Well, you don't have to worry about me here... I'm quite happy on my own as long as I'm with her. I hope to see you soon, pops.'_

With him reassured, he eventually closed his eyes to sleep as they prepared for the new day ahead.

* * *

 ** _The next day..._**

* * *

Just like from before, Natsu already woke up to start his day. He prepared all his things as he stood outside the church with Hestia standing in front of her.

"Ja, I'll be heading out again, kami-sama!" He spoke in glee as the petite goddess responded with a smile.

"Travel safe! And also be careful on your way, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am! Oh, so about the recruiting..."

"Don't worry, once you've finished your trip on the dungeon, we can start looking for some other people who might be interested to join us."

Natsu nodded in response.

"Alright... I'll see you later, kami-sama!" And with that, he finally sprinted off to the dungeon as Hestia waved at the distance. As soon as his figure disappears from sight, she turned her attention back to the entrance she had something to do as well.

"Yosh, time to get to work then..."

Walking back, she sets out as she walked from the other direction to start her day.

...

Natsu walked through the busy streets as the city slowly swarmed with lots of people, merchants and adventurers alike. It looks like it's not his usual early morning get up since he would always depart much earlier than this in order to secure a suitable area in the dungeon without having any conflicts from other parties.

Having to pass through a familiar path, he eventually sighted the Benevolent Mistress which prompted him to hasten his pace and went into the entrance. Since morning already passed, customers already occupied almost all of the seats available but he was not here to eat.

It was only then a perky voice eventually caught his attention as he turned over to the distance and saw Syr coming over from the counter.

"Natsu!"

"Yo, Syr. Nice meeting you here." He passed a wave as the girl stood near him with a beaming smile on her face.

"Orya? Is that the boy from last night, nya~?" Another voice cut through their conversation as another girl appeared behind Syr as if peering her eyes towards the pinkette.

"Arnya..." Syr muttered the other girl's name which prompted her to smile gleefully, showing her canines that Natsu was able to notice at first glance.

In addition, he also became aware of the protruding cat ears visible above her head which only brought him to a conclusion. However, most of her appearance still resembled that of a human as she had short brown hair and brown eyes. Her clothes consisted of the same outfit worn by the rest of the waitresses in the pub.

"Cat ears... You must be one of the Cat People, aren't you?" Said girl perked up as soon as she was being spoken to.

"Fufu~ That's right, nya~. Normally, people wouldn't know much about other's nature but yours must be quite sharp enough to see through my disguise, nyan~" Arnya made a short pose of herself, seemingly showing her cool composure until―

"Please refrain from bothering our customer, Arnya. It's a disrespect to show such an act, you know that."

"Ahaha~ Sorry, nyan~"

A third person joined the group which didn't go unnoticed as Natsu turned to the far distance behind Syr and saw another girl approaching them.

Like Arnya, she seemed to be non-human due to the sharp ears seen both at her sides which make her a different species of non-humans. And because there is no other race which bore such traits, he easily identified her as an elf.

She made her entrance as she stood next to Syr, seemingly holding some sort of a brown flask in her hands. Her short green hair added charm along with her light blue orbs that met his gaze as she stood next to her colleagues. A strong aura was sensed by him as he was overwhelmed by her presence.

It looks like this woman isn't just your regular sweet waitress when provoked.

At the same time, she seemed to notice his reaction towards her presence which prompted her to shook her head lightly in front of him.

"I apologize on behalf of my colleague's behavior. She didn't mean any trouble."

"I-It's alright. It's not that I'm bothered by it." Natsu reassured.

"I suppose this was a late time to make introductions but... I'm Ryuu Lion."

"Name's Arnya... Arnya Fromel. Just call if you need any help, alrighty-nya~?" The cat gave a slightly seductive gaze much to Natsu's confusion and Syr's reaction.

"A-Arnya-san?"

"Just joking... I thought I'd tease you-nyan~"

But just as things about to continue for awhile, a loud smack was heard as soon as a large tray crashed atop the cat woman's head. She sprawled down to the floor before getting pulled by the collar as Ryuu grabbed the slightly conscious woman with a blank look on her face.

"Please refrain from saying something that would affect Syr and Dragneel's relationship, understand?"

"Y-Yes..." Arnya managed a weak reply as Ryuu looked at Natsu before bowing down in respect.

"I apologize for this girl's behavior... Then, I'll leave you two alone. Please continue to look after Syr, Dragneel-san." She asked as if pleading in some sort of manner in her voice.

"S-Sure..."

Natsu, on the other hand, made a cold sweat after the whole scene regarding the tray smacking the life out of Arnya as if it was their common habit. He didn't know if he should feel pity for the woman but it looks like even Arnya doesn't seem to be hurt at all. It looks like she's even more fearful at Ryuu's warning rather than the tray hitting on her head in the process.

Man, these waitresses sure aren't pretty normal.

From what it looks like, Syr seemed to be the only girl with no such strong presence like the rest. As if she could only display a sweet and warm feeling when being talked with her in the process.

Speaking of her, the whole conversation took a lot of time for the other two girls so Syr wasn't able to put that much presence as she was left in silence throughout the conversation.

As Ryuu returned to her work along with Arnya, the conversation eventually returned back to the two as Syr made a flushed look on her face, seemingly embarrassed.

"U-Uh, umm... she didn't mean that much so p-please don't mind it too much..."

"Hmm? Well, I don't mind what she said. After all, we're friends, aren't we?"

Showing a radiant grin, Syr could not help but feel embarrassed in the process. Her eyes soon make their way down to her feet as if avoiding his gaze. Natsu tilted his head in confusion but then realized he was already running out of time.

"Ah, I should be going by now."

As he says that, Syr immediately returned her gaze.

"Oh, if that's the case, take these."

"You don't have to bring me something. I won't be around in the dungeon that long today."

Hearing his refusal, her face adopted a puzzled look.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's not that really troubling if you think it like that. You see, kami-sama and I are trying to recruit someone in our familia in order to expand since it's not enough for just the two of us. We're using the event on Monster Feria as an opportunity to look for someone."

Apparently, he and Hestia are about to start recruiting for some new members in their familia just a few hours from now. And since they've already started fresh as a stable familia, having to recruit someone would be beneficial for them, especially for Natsu as well in order to form a party in the process.

The goddess was constantly worrying about the pinkette's lone journey down to the dungeon floors so having someone to stand by his side would give some sort of relief to her.

The decision, however, is a different matter though.

For some reason, Hestia wanted to evaluate them when recruiting for the familia. She was strongly against recruiting women but it doesn't stop her completely to deny any capable people to join them since Natsu was willing to accept anyone.

At least, there's a chance for him to reconsider her decision when choosing a female companion for him.

In all honesty, he doesn't mind that much but he's gotta consider her opinion on the subject in order to assure things out.

"Oh, I see... I happen to attend there too once I'm finished here." She beamed in joy.

"Really? That's great! Are you watching the event by any chance?"

"Yes!"

"Cool! We can probably meet once we're done! I can introduce you to my goddess if you want to."

Just as the two were talking, a voice suddenly got the gray-haired waitress to jolt into attention.

"Syr! Your break is already over! What are you doing?" Even Natsu was able to recognize that kind of authoritative tone as he, too looked over and saw Mama Mia coming into view, seemingly upset for some reason.

"A-Ah, Mia-san..."

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep track of time? There are some customers who needed some drinks and... Hmm?" Her eyes shifted away from the female waitress as she recognized the pinkette right behind her.

"Hoh, you're the boy last night... Fancy meeting you here, huh?" Her way of speaking doesn't sound really lady-like. Even yet, she doesn't seem to act like one as she displays a rather masculine approach which puts other men to shame.

Realizing the reason behind Syr's behind schedule, Natsu gulped nervously as he soon faced a towering figure in front of him.

After a few moments, Mia began to calm down and eventually placed both her hands on his shoulders in relief.

"Ah, you should've told me that you needed time with her. Ah, youth these days..." She muttered something he doesn't understand but Syr seemed to be blushing for some reason.

"A-Ah, Mia-san. It's not what you think―"

"Oh, don't sweat it, Syr. If you could've told me sooner, I wouldn't have to shout all the way here to interrupt. Anyways, what business do you have here, boy?" She turned her attention to the pinkette who immediately answered in response.

"I-I just came by to say hello..."

"Oya? Is that all? I thought you would be here for some morning meals."

"Maybe later I guess, I have errands to do for my goddess, you see..."

"Ah, I see... I guess even adventurers have it tough with their gods and goddesses, huh?" She spoke as if relating with experience which caught the pinkette attention.

"Did you become an adventurer, Mama Mia?"

"Of course, idiot! But that was already a long time ago. I don't have anything to do with the gods and goddesses anymore!" Her tone sounded angry by the looks of it which scared the shit out of him despite not being directed towards him.

Even so, he needed to get out from the line of fire.

"W-Well, anyhow... I should be going. I'm sorry to have taken too much of your time, Syr!" He apologized in which she flailed her arms in reassurance.

"I-It's fine... Then, I'll see you later in Monster Feria."

"Sure thing!"

And with that, Natsu already sprinted down to the dungeon as Syr and Mia watched from the distance. As soon as his figure disappeared, the latter motioned her gaze back on the waitress beside her.

"Soooo... a date, huh?" Hearing this from her, Syr quickly turned back in embarrassment.

"I-I told you, it's not what you think!"

Mia sighed inwardly since she knew she would deny it to the very end of her breath. In response, she smiled as she led her back to the pub.

"Well, suit yourself... Be sure to not forget things when you go outside, alright?" Leaving her partway, the bulky woman went to the back of the counter as Syr merely looked at her fleeting figure in a flustered expression.

* * *

 ** _Inside the dungeon..._**

* * *

Natsu easily waded his way down to the first floors of the dungeon as he began collecting magic stones from the monsters he defeated along the way. Since it's only a short while for him to wander down to the dungeon, he didn't bother to count his loot since he collected enough from his previous venture from yesterday.

He could take it easy and practice using his spells in the meantime to try out his improvements. In addition, the monsters are perfect training dummies for him to try out his new powers.

According to what he saw from his reading, his magic changed almost entirely from just flames magic into something unique―in which Hestia had described.

From what he remembered, it was something like Fire Dragon's Flames or some sort.

On the other hand, he was also advised not to reveal much of his new powers to others yet since she's yet to solve anything behind his improvement. If anything's possible, it could be some sort of a curse that might worry him in the future.

Nevertheless, he was dying to try it out instead of punching monsters all day.

Well, as long as no one's around, he can freely use it.

As if matching perfectly to his thoughts, the walls around him began spawning Killer Ants, surrounding the pinkette in mere seconds.

A smirk adopted on his lips as his hands blazed wildly around him.

"I'm all fired up!"

With a shout, he charged against the wave of ants as he balled his right fist, followed by a swirling flame around him as he thrust it down against one of the monsters. The power of the punch, however, is something he didn't expect afterward.

 **"Fire Dragon's Fist!"**

As soon as his fist landed on the monster's head, a powerful force sends the monster crashing back to the wall, breaking it into pieces while also hitting several Killer Ants who happen to be in its way. The impact created a surge of flames around him as the formation of the monsters was easily broken apart.

Monsters who were near the vicinity were either blown away from the force, crashing into every corner in the process. Other stragglers remained standing in their bewildered expressions, dealing with the hot flames that spew out alongside with his spell.

Natsu as well looked at bit surprised to the power of his flames was able to emit. This was certainly different from the ones he used to fight against monsters. His magic has never been able to deal this much damage as his punch literally obliterated the monsters in the process.

Heck, he didn't even comprehend just how different the status of his improvement could give this much difference from before.

 _'My body feels lighter than ever... I don't feel that much strain even after releasing that much magic as well...'_

Not only that, his senses were sharper than before, enabling him to focus his attention more quickly as well as his reaction towards danger.

This is entirely a different level even for a Level 1 adventurer like him.

It is as if he felt entirely new to his improved status.

A wide smile traced down onto his face as he found himself growing stronger. Realizing this, he couldn't help but feel proud of it.

With this, he will be able to help his goddess.

More monsters arrived from the other section of the dungeon since the attack shook the very walls which are connected to the other places where monsters are waiting at.

It would seem like he unknowingly drawn a lot of monsters into his area.

Gathering magic stones would be tedious due to the sheer number of Killer Ants approaching from every corner. He wouldn't have the time to collect everything since he ought to return to the surface, later on, to meet with Hestia.

Well, he can worry all of that for later.

Right now, he needs to finish his battle and hurry back.

Turning his attention back to the horde of monsters, Natsu felt the release of flames from his body as it coated him, acting some sort of a defense mechanism against those who come too close contact with him.

The heating temperature of the area soon rises at the intensity of the flames as the pinkette focused his power back onto his right fist. He looked over to the monsters with determination as he swung down his fist towards the ground.

"BRING IT ON!"

...

The battle ended in a one-sided showdown as Natsu eventually eliminated all possible monsters within his vicinity, leaving a pile of magic stones lying on the ground. Smoking carcasses and burnt holes filled the walls which only displayed the aftermath of a brutal fight.

Natsu wiped a small sweat from his head as he looked around as if admiring his work. The monsters literally have no match to him at this point which somehow left him a bit unsatisfied. As much as he wanted to go deep down to fight more powerful monsters, he needs to prioritize his promise with Hestia.

"Phew... I better head back..."

Realizing the time he spent on the dungeon floor, he collected several magic stones and began sprinting back to the surface thus, ending his trip to the dungeon for today.

He left all the other magic stones for the lucky adventurers who might've happened to stumble on that area.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

It was high noon and the Tower of Babel continued to flood with adventurers going in and out from the dungeon.

Natsu trudged his way down on the West Main in order to exchange all the gathered magic stones. It didn't take long for him to reach to the main Guild as he spotted Eina working around in her usual place.

"Eina!"

He called out with his hand raised in which caught the elf's attention as she averted her eyes from her desk and looked at the approaching mage.

"Natsu? I thought you were going work late in the dungeon."

"Ah, I'm taking the day off for today. Kami-sama wants me to attend to Monster Feria later so you know the rest." He explained, keeping the grin on his face as he placed a hand on the back of his head.

"I see... So, are you going out by then?"

"Pretty much... It's actually my first time seeing this event so I'd like to see it as well. I also heard there are some good stalls there so I want to try some of their food too."

"Oh, I guess you won't be staying that long in the dungeon. So why are you here by the way?"

"Came to exchange some magic stones... Also, I thought I'd say hi."

Figures... Natsu would always greet her whenever he finds the time to stop here other than exchanging goods from the dungeon.

Eina appreciated his sincerity but it still made her fluster just as she heard him say that.

"I-I see... I appreciate that. Anyways, I also happen to go there soon. Guild workers are tasked to help with the event so I'm kind of needed there as well."

"I see... Want to come along? It's not that far off." He offered.

"Well, I was about to finish up here. Can you wait for a little while?" She requested.

"Sure thing. I'll wait by at the entrance once I'm done with the exchange."

Eventually, Eina went further back from the Guild counter while Natsu, on the other hand, went on his way to the exchange counter as he traded the magic stones he collected from the dungeon. He had a total amount of 4,000 valis in his hands which are quite enough to use it for the Monster Feria.

Since Hestia would be coming along with him, he might as well treat her with some food and have fun while searching for recruits.

A few minutes went by and Eina finished as she walked at the entrance where she saw Natsu leaning on the side of the wall, waiting for her.

The two smiled as they started on their way towards the event.

"So how are you doing right now?" Eina began asking, surprising him.

"Me? Oh, I'm doing fine, I guess... There's been a lot of things on my mind lately so I'm just keeping blank here in the meantime. You know, taking a break from all of it."

"That's good... And I thought you would be asking me about the deeper floors." She breathed a sigh of relief.

Her assumption, however, got the pinkette thinking about it as well.

"If I do have the chance, maybe I would ask right now." He joked but it didn't appease to the elf girl as she gave her a look of reproach.

"Natsu... The deeper floors is not a laughing matter." She reminded.

"I'm just kidding. I'm not planning to go in yet until I leveled up or joined in some party since you advised it to me several times." He smiled in reassurance which caught Eina off guard from his reply just now.

"W-What did you just say?"

"Like I said, I'm not planning to go deeper yet unless I level up or have some party members with me. You always said that monsters are different from each floor and it's risky to go in alone without a party. Even though I'm wanted to go, I can't let myself be too careless, right?"

His understanding further surprised her yet again since Natsu seemed more informed than what he usually does when he seeks advice to her. He spoke as if he was taking heed of everything that he's been taught about the dungeon. Even the system of partying which she thought he'd never care in the first place was brought up.

She couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed by this new change as she widened her eyes, indicating a dumbfounded expression.

"Umm... Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen to you a few days back? You seem a bit proactive than before. I was wondering what made you change."

Natsu turned to stare in front of his view as he placed a hand on his chin, pondering.

"Hmm... Well, a lot of things happened so I thought I decided to step up a bit and learn things more seriously."

"Heeeeeh..." Eina leaned her head for closer inspection as her tone looked to be teasing him for some reason. Noticing this, Natsu responded with a serious look.

"What? I'm serious."

"I know that..." She smiled.

"Then why are you looking at me like you're not convinced."

"It's not that I don't believe you. I just always see your honest self. I don't need to confirm it myself since you always express your feelings straightforwardly no matter how things change."

Natsu didn't know if it was a compliment or not so he awkwardly replied with a slight blush on his face.

"Gee, thanks, I guess..."

Eina kept her warm smile as she soon decided to change the topic for a bit since she was also a bit curious behind his errand with his goddess.

To be honest, she shouldn't have asked something like this but for some reason, a part of her wanted to know since she's his current advisor.

"So, what's this about going out with Goddess Hestia?"

"Ah, she wanted to invite me for a day off to watch Monster Feria. And we're also planning to look for recruits for our familia since we need more people to operate." He reasoned.

"Looking for recruits, huh? I think that would be hard in an event like Monster Feria though. Even recruiting newcomers seemed pretty rare because most of them tend to join in a much more prestige familia. That's why most small familias together with their children work extra hard before being recognized by other people." She explained.

"Well, that's certainly true but we're only doing a trial run though. It's not like we're desperate for more members at the moment so it's fine even we didn't succeed today."

"But if you think the other way around, you might be able to form a party, right?" She beamed in anticipation.

"Well, yeah..."

"If you somehow managed to acquire at least one or two, I think it would be a new experience for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Because you were constantly fighting all by yourself, having a partner would surely bring out a new way of exploring the dungeon. Although it might not give you as much experience as you acquire alone, partying with other people will make your fighting easier and can even produce teamwork to bring down stronger monsters which only then would bring more valuable drop items, you know."

"Hmm... I guess." Natsu nodded along with her suggestion.

"When you become experienced with it, you'll be able to become stronger alongside with your companions."

There was a short pause between them as Eina continued in her statement.

"...Of course, that is when you eventually find someone who you can party with. It might be from the same familia as you are or any other familia you know about. Just remember that you should choose wisely on who to trust, okay?"

"Alright..."

Eina smiled in relief as he nodded happily in response. To be honest, she was worried about the whole party thing with Natsu since there are a lot of issues where party members don't often get a good relationship with each other. That's why in most cases of partying, people choose to stick with their own familia members rather than looking from other familias because strain relationships tend to rise from both their gods themselves which then creates a rift between children on both sides.

And because Natsu is the only child of the Hestia Familia, joining a party from other familias would not be such a good idea at the moment. Recruiting, on the other hand, should be the most probable solution for further improvement of their familia.

She wanted to look out for him since he's a bit of a dunce at these kinds of things.

For all she knew, Natsu might be easily fooled by someone despite him being a capable person.

It's not that she was belittling him. She was just concerned with the fact that there are people who take advantage of other people's kindness such as him when lowering their guard. If Natsu were to be pitted in such a situation, she wouldn't know if he would be able to come out unscathed from it.

As much as possible, she wanted to give him as much advice as she can for him not just as his advisor but as a friend who cares for his wellbeing.

...

Seeing how they discuss a lot of things during their journey, it didn't take long as they finally reached to the festival.

Multiple people from other familias gather around the place as the two saw a large colosseum located the center. Multiple stalls and other shops surrounded the area as people wandered around in celebration of the event.

From their point of view, it almost looked like the whole populace of Orario gathered here to watch the monster taming.

Shouts of the audience reverberated from the huge walls as Natsu stood in front of the entrance while watching Eina proceed further as she was needed in the event as well.

"Then, I'll be meeting with Misha. Make sure you arrive on time, alright? Oh, and also enjoy the show, okay?"

"Sure. See you later, Eina!" With a wave, the two parted ways as the elf walked inside while Natsu shifted his eyes back in the other direction to meet with Hestia in their meeting area.

He also needed to find Syr just so he could introduce her to Hestia as well. Considering that he didn't ask where she would be, he'll just have to track her using his senses.

He walked away from the colosseum as he found himself within a sea of people walking towards the large structure. There's about a column of stalls located around the event and a brim laughter of people filled the atmosphere around him.

The pinkette managed to arrive at the designated location where he and Hestia were supposed to meet. It was a small grass plain along the stone pavement leading to the entrance of the colosseum. He sat down for a moment and decided to wait for his goddess.

"Nnnaaaaaatttttsssssssuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Soon afterward, a familiar voice echoed in the distance as Natsu turned his head over to the right and saw Hestia running towards him at full speed.

It looks like she was running late to their meeting.

"Ha, Kami-sama." He called her in response as the petite goddess wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him merrily while being spun around due to her speed.

Natsu didn't seem to bother the extravagant reunion since she's not that heavy, to begin with. Though he shouldn't blabber those thoughts around her since she might get mad once she heard it from him.

"You took early than usual... Did you miss me?"

"Well, sort of..." He agreed along with her question.

"Muo... What are you going to do without me?" She cutely responded before pausing for a moment as she changed their subject. "Anyways, are you ready to go?"

"Hnn..." He nodded happily.

"Yosh! Let's have our fun inside!" She pointed her gaze onto the colosseum, pulling the pinkette with her arm.

And in just like that, the two soon entered inside the colosseum to watch the Monsterphilia.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The audience inside was roaring with vigor as people and adventurers cheered for the members of the Ganesha Familia who were participating in the arena.

The event simply composed of a public showdown of monsters extracted from the dungeon and members acting as performers hosted by the Ganesha Familia.

It wasn't anything interesting about it except that monsters are being made to be tamed without killing them in the process. And as monsters are hostile against humans, it's a dangerous act by which is only done by experienced adventurers stronger than the monster themselves.

However, at some extreme cases, the familia would often collect stronger monsters just for the thrill of it.

No one knows exactly who formulated this kind of festival except that it was merely regarded as some sort of hardcore entertainment for the children by God Ganesha himself. However, few can think otherwise.

Natsu and Hestia waded through the cramped space between columns as they find themselves a good seat where they can watch the whole show from afar.

The show was already halfway through its performance and the atmosphere was still filled with cheers and shouts for the performers down below.

And as the cheers grew wild around the colosseum, more monsters are being released into the arena as Ganesha Familia members skillfully displayed their dodging skills as well as their abilities in taming the maddened monsters.

"Aaaah... It's been awhile since I last attended here. Ganesha sure loves these kinds of things." Hestia muttered as she observed the show.

"It doesn't look that much interesting to me... I want to eat at the stalls outside."

"Eeeeeeeeeeh? After all the work we've done to get this nice spot..." She huffed peevishly.

"Okay, okay... I'll wait a bit longer." Natsu wouldn't want to ruin their time together since it was supposed to be their day off although he wondered about Syr being around since he wanted to meet her with his goddess.

However, leaving Hestia behind might just upset her mood since she was looking forward to it.

His thoughts were soon caught back to the event as people cheered for the next performance of the show.

At the same time, Ganesha had stood up from his seat as he declared speech all across the colosseum.

"Thank you for your wonderful cheers to this festival, everyone! I am so happy that everyone is having fun to this event! And so, we shall present another performance as we introduce a menacing monster from the 11th floor! Today, we shall tame the famous Silverback!"

Natsu perked up in interest as his eyes looked over to one of the far entrances where the monsters are being released. He never trudged down to the 11th floor before since he was advised not to. And seeing these kinds of monsters could give him some details on what to expect once he gets down further to the dungeon.

"So that's a monster from the 11th floor..." He muttered.

"Well, yeah... But there are a lot more monsters aside from this one. I'm curious on how will they tame it though." Hestia pondered in thought as she narrowed her eyes closely towards the performance.

The Silverback was carried through a large cage before being placed in the middle of the arena.

People cheered once more as they began to release it by opening the lock

―However, just as one of the helpers were about to open the hatch, several eyes noticed a horde of monsters coming out from the four entrances where they were supposed to be contained inside.

"O-Oi, look!" One of the people in the audience pointed out which soon caught Natsu and Hestia's attention as they peered to the direction where the monsters are coming.

"Hoh! Are they gonna make it more difficult, huh? I'm wondering how they're going to tame them all at once. Now this is the kind of entertainment I'd like to see!" Natsu commented in glee but Hestia's expression changed as soon as she noticed some panicked expressions coming from the performers down below.

Moreover, she observed to the far end as she saw Ganesha standing from his seat after being informed by his members behind him.

"Iya... I don't think that's meant to be that way."

"Huh?"

Natsu looked at his goddess in confusion but then the sound of the Silverback roaring from its cage brought his attention back to the arena.

People continuously cheered despite the unprecedented situation. At the same time, the monster horde began swarming the arena as they charged towards the two performers standing below. From their point of view, it looked like they tried containing them but just then a flash in the sky erupted, blinding everyone including Ganesha himself.

Because of the light, the roar of the crowd was silenced as confusion took over the atmosphere. It took a few moments for them to recompose themselves until they saw the arena finally out of control.

Monsters ran around in rampage, seemingly attacking any humans in sight. The performers were overwhelmed by the horde as they were forced to pull away.

"Monsters have escaped!"

"Run for it!"

And as people knew what was going on, everyone bolted out from their seats and began running to the exits. Members of the Ganesha familia took the situation and began guiding the citizens away from danger.

The whole situation had suddenly spiraled out of control.

"Kami-sama... I think we should go."

"Y-Yeah."

Natsu felt uneasy about the situation as he pulled Hestia along with him towards the exit. It looks like it's starting to get really dangerous around here.

―Then suddenly, a shout caused them to turn their heads into the air.

"Watch out!"

The pinkette glanced back as his eyes saw a huge cage thrown towards their way.

No―it was thrown deliberately towards the two of them.

"Kami-sama, WATCH OUT!"

Natsu was forced to tackle his goddess out of the way as the cage slammed into the seats, causing a commotion as people screamed in fear. Around the same time, Natsu had to use his own body to shield Hestia from the impact of the stairs as he rolled down and eventually fell down to the arena along with her.

Natsu released a grunt as he took the pain all to himself while making sure she was safe in his arms. Holding her tight with his arms, he suppressed the slight pain from his fall and looked over to his seemingly uninjured goddess.

"Natsu! Are you alright?!"

Hestia broke away immediately with a worried face as Natsu slowly got up from his feet.

"Yeah, it's nothing... What the hell was that just now?" He looked over to the direction where the cage was thrown and saw the Silverback looking at them for some reason.

"Oi! Somebody's down here!"

A voice cut their train of thought as a member of the Ganesha Familia noticed their fall, causing them to look up.

The pinkette soon realized just how far they've been dragged down as they both find themselves in the arena where the monsters are roaming around.

"This is bad... Let's get out of here, kami-sama." He tried climbing his way to the walls but...

―Just as he was about to touch the walls, a purplish glow appeared right in front of him as he felt through it, noticing it being erected as some sort of a barrier. At the same time, he felt a strong impulsive force as he was thrown back just as he could push himself out of it.

"What... the hell is this?!"

"Oi! Are you two alright down there?! We'll send help so just keep―" The member was cut off short as soon as a massive pillar appeared over the arena, preventing any sort of passage from both inside out.

The pillar rose as it formed into some sort of a dome-shaped structure as people gazed in terror from its purplish color.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Hestia remained trapped inside as the former tried banging the barrier with his own fist.

"Hey! What the hell is this joke?! Let us out!" He shouted but the barrier looks to prevent any sort of sound to be transmitted across both sides.

Not even a single noise could be heard from the outside as Natsu could only hear the growling noises of the monsters from the distance.

"Gaaaah, I'm getting tired of this!" He tried punching the barrier but it seemed like it didn't even flinch despite the impact of the blow.

"N-Natsu..."

A voice called him back as soon as Hestia tugged him in his clothes, looking away from the side as she saw the monsters gathering around them.

Natsu eventually averted his gaze as he looked at the horde of monsters coming in his way. He widened his eyes as soon as he saw them approaching them.

In response, he lifted his hand in front of her as he stepped in front of them in caution.

"Kami-sama, get behind me."

The monsters growled as they slowly neared the two before stopping as if gathering altogether to pin the two of them from both sides. Bloodlust was imminent in their eyes, indicating their thirst for human flesh. And since there are no other humans trapped in this barrier, they were the ones being targeted as their source of food.

However, something's wrong...

He knew monsters don't exactly react in some sort of a unified way when confronting adventurers. Just from observing their gazes at them, he noticed how most of them are drawing attention to the other person.

He clenched his right fist as he gazed at them in realization.

They're targeting Hestia.

...

Somewhere from the high above the tower of Babel, two lone figures stood from the wide transparent window as one sat in a crimson chair while the other stood beside her as if acting as a bodyguard.

The woman sitting had her purple eyes staring right down to the city as if watching at a certain place.

Her lips adopted a wicked smile as she held a glass of wine from her hand.

"Now then, show me what you can do... child."

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it, folks! Chapter 2 is done and some characters are slowly taking up their appearances until we can move to a bigger part of the story. As you can see, there's already the first act of Natsu being tested of his worth and it's obvious who's responsible for that little accident.**

 **Speaking of which, I tweaked a bit of the Monsterphilia incident in order to fit through Natsu's capability as an adventurer. And so this is what I come up with by doing some kind of trap situation so I hope you like that.**

 **Some characters are also being fleshed out through their character development such as Eina and Hestia for starters since it's just the beginning but it would take a long while for others to have their own spotlight so patience. In addition, the search for members of Natsu's party is already planned out for me so there's no need for any addition but you can suggest if you want.**

 **Anyways, it's a long update so I apologize for the wait. Until then, I'll see you again in the next chapter. ^^**

 **PS: Clarification of both the term 'Benevolent Mistress' or 'Hostess of Fertility' remains unclear for me alongside with 'Monster Feria' or 'Monsterphilia'. If anyone's got the answer, notify me for corrections. Until then, I chose for both formers.**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here.**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

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 **\- The Power to Protect -**

* * *

Panic ensued inside the coliseum as the purple dome-shaped shield hovered above it, locking any sort of passage between the arena and the area outside. People continuously fled from the place as it was thoroughly being cleared with the help of the Ganesha Familia.

No one sure knows what happened but it appears someone was trapped inside just before the barrier appeared out of nowhere. Rumors spread fast like wildfire despite the chaos surrounding them. It's amazing to see how word comes out fast throughout the four Main streets as some adventurers walking nearby had already begun running towards the scene to help. Nevertheless, the appearance of the barrier and the panic erupting from the arena was all enough to throw the whole festival in a widespread disaster.

Ganesha Familia members stood on the spot as they helplessly try to break through the thick barrier. Weapons and other types of magic had been rendered useless against it as if it nullifies anything that tries to break through it. A series of magic rays in different colors were flung right at it, only to be absorbed by it like it was nothing compared to the complexity of the magic built around it. It doesn't seem to disappear anytime soon either as the barrier had been around for quite awhile. No one in the familia had the knowledge nor the capacity to take it down so they stood there watching.

It's been a few minutes since the barrier was erected and the people had been looking from the outside in confusion and disbelief as they saw the entrance flooding with the ones who had come to watch the event.

It's easy to say that something wrong had happened.

Eina was amongst the crowd as she had received news of an accident within the monster taming event, prompting her to guide the people away from danger and assess the situation.

"Iyaaaa... They've done it now eh? To think that something like this could've happened in Monster Feria. Trouble just keeps coming." A voice resounded beside her, revealing a pink-haired girl with the same outfit as all of the Guild's members. A relaxed expression dawned on her face as Misha turned her attention towards the coliseum where she could see the dome-shaped barrier from the distance.

Both of them were working alongside with other Guild members to quell the chaos.

"Let's just get these people far away as possible."

"Sure thing." Her face still bearing her usual beaming attitude despite the gravity of the situation around them. She's probably the only one who could make such an impression despite the things happening right now. It may look like she's not taking it seriously as they're pretty much far from the coliseum at the moment.

The danger isn't exactly close to them so the half-elf pretty much understands her enthusiasm. However, that doesn't mean to her that the situation isn't serious.

While Misha continues to deal the situation with such a mood, Eina felt like she couldn't keep her worries for some reason.

The reason for this is because she hasn't seen Natsu ever since the incident had begun. She couldn't locate the pinkette that easily due to the swarm of people coming out from the coliseum. Not even the familiar salmon hair of his could be seen amongst the crowd.

She had grown used to the sight of his hair color that even spotting from a sea of people would get her to recognize the adventurer right away. Also, there aren't many people in Orario to have such bright hair, except for the Sword Princess that is.

The two stood in the hallway as they guided the people out of the coliseum until they heard a shout from one of the Ganesha Familia in the crowd. It would seem like he came from the coliseum just to call them over.

"You two! We need your help from the inside! There's an adventurer trapped inside the barrier and we need someone from the Guild to help!"

The two girls turned their heads before nodding in unison as they followed the member into the arena, leaving the situation to the other Ganesha followers as they broke into a sprint towards the stadium.

...

As soon as they arrived at the scene, Eina could see a full glimpse of the large purple barrier erected throughout the center. Her eyes caught several adventurers from the Ganesha Familia and also some others who had been requested to help them take down the huge barrier. All of them are standing near the edges barrier, pouring out magic to weaken its hold.

Eina hadn't got the gist of what really happened until she heard it from one of the familia members about someone being trapped inside along with the monsters that have been released from their cages.

The very thought of someone getting trapped by monsters isn't something she would handle pretty well after having a similar experience. Nonetheless, she couldn't falter her actions from the past and must focus on getting the trapped adventurer outside. The question is how?

The half-elf stood in front of the large barrier before her; the obstacle looking like it didn't want anyone interfering with what's happening inside. She couldn't even see what was happening on the other side as the barrier obscures them from seeing through it. This is the first time she'd actually seen such a barrier and a tough one at that. She didn't even know if a Level 4 or 5 adventurer could be capable of tearing it down either nor capable of making one.

The possibility of any familia being involved would be those above the high ranking familias that has the most influence on Orario. Eina, however, paused her thought as she quickly arrived at a conclusion of two familias that went over her head. It couldn't be possible to see them involved in this. As far as she remembered the two had a cordial relationship with the Ganesha Familia and had nothing sort of grudges planted in each other's minds. In addition, it is not in her position to take action against two of the most powerful familias in Orario.

She quickly dissolved the thought and simply turned her focus on the situation at hand.

Eina narrowed her eyes nervously as she couldn't find a solution. She stared at the number of adventurers trying to work together in putting down the barrier in front of them but to no avail. Is there any way for them to help at all? Every passing second comes to the survival of the adventurer trapped inside going less.

They must make haste with all their effort to save him.

"Misha, I want you to run back to the nearest stall market outside and try to call some adventurers who could help out here."

"Got it, Eina. It would be preferable if I happen to stumble either the ones at the Loki or Freya Familia." The half-elf nodded firmly as the pink-haired assistant dashed back to the entrance for help. She then turned back to the scene as she stood with unease at the unfolding situation. Her hands placed right on her chest to somehow eliminate the growing sense of uncertainty that had been clinging to her ever since this whole chaos started.

She wondered why she even felt such a thing despite being unrelated to the commotion.

Her moment of rambled contemplation was inevitably cut short as soon as her eyes caught attention of a woman running towards her in distress. Her hair featured a grey color fashion, accompanied with loosely tied knot pony-tail which was probably ignored due to the chaos. She wore a simple maroon dress with a pair of sandals which looked typical in this city's fashion, although it was left in a mess due to the chaos around the Monster Feria event.

"Please help him!" Eina had caught on to her words as she stumbled just in front of her; the dirt from her clothes seen evident at first glance and a couple of scratches from her hands and knees indicate for what it seemed to be hours of frantically running around, looking for someone. Eina disregarded her concern, wanting to prioritize her physical injuries but the girl seemed to brush aside her own troubles and tried to evoke her concerns on another pressing matter. "Please help my friend!"

"What's wrong? Is something matter?" She said so with a tinge of worry but then her face grew horrid as the girl pointed her finger at the barrier. "He's... he's been trapped in there!"

It was enough to deduce that she was familiar with the person trapped below. At the same time, it saved Eina a lot of time trying to find the identity of the person so she immediately asked.

"Who's the adventurer trapped inside?"

There was a short pause but the two words that came from the girl's mouth caused her heart to drop heavily.

"Natsu Dragneel!"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Natsu groaned, collecting his thoughts on how he had come into this kind of situation. One moment he was having fun alongside with his goddess then all of a sudden, they both got trapped into this impenetrable barrier with no means of getting out in the process. He'd thought taking a short break from all the fighting in the dungeon would relieve some stress since his development had been steadily good so far, especially from the last status update last night.

Now, he's already dragged back into this mess even at his peaceful times, thinking like this was a punishment for taking advantage of his goddess' kindness and taking her to a date or something. He had heard rumors about mortals courting their gods and goddesses are often showered with bad luck, receiving the most awful of things experienced by one alone in their lifetime. He swore he did not have any impure thoughts towards Hestia... Not a single bit!

He respected her and at some times treated her as his own family but that doesn't really count as an excuse as some might say if they happen to see them together earlier.

―Not that he cares about it now since he had better things to worry.

Staring at the horde of monsters separating them and the safe areas around the stadium, the pinkette gritted his teeth at their sheer numbers. Not to mention, the level of these monsters extracted are from both 10th and 11th floors. Natsu hasn't gone past any of those floors nor did he have any encounter with these monsters as advised by Eina. Due to the environment those floors have apart from the ones on the upper floors, he had little knowledge of dangers imposed by the monsters residing there. Despite being part of the Upper Floors, it still posed quite a challenge to those with party members and facing a horde of them would spell death if one dared to stand against it.

Their situation isn't different from the dungeon he had always visited. The only difference is that Hestia is right here beside him as she's exposed to the same danger he had always been down at the dungeon. As far as he knew, gods and goddesses have little to no power here in the Lower World, making them almost similar to humans.

Natsu paled at the thought of seeing his goddess getting hurt. The impulse to protect her kicked in, pushing both his feet further into the ground to indicate his defiance against the monsters.

If he'd let those monsters past him, he'll never forgive himself. The pinkette could only steel his resolve, discarding all other thoughts he had in his mind. He placed his only priority right inside his head―to protect her at all costs.

"Kami-sama, whatever you do, don't let go of my hand, okay?" He pleaded.

"S-Sure..." Hestia nodded, a small blush appearing on her cheeks as she felt his firm hand hold onto hers despite their current situation.

The monsters slowly approached; their eyes locked tightly onto the petite goddess as Natsu put himself between her and them, acting a sort of obstacle between them. A tough look hung in his face.

And in just a second, the monsters simultaneously charged in.

"Hold on, Kami-sama!" In response, Natsu quickly hoisted Hestia right into his own arms bridal style as he used his feet to propel them out of the way, flinging themselves in the air as the monsters crashed into each other after missing their target. Hestia, not having the time to react, could only muster a light 'kyaa' followed with an intense blush as she was carried away from danger.

The pinkette rose a few feet away and was able to get past the horde in just a single leap. Turning his head back, the monsters merely retracted their focus and turned their heads at them as well; their bloodlust still lingers, craving the blood of any human they come across with. Their limbs sprouted to action in their direction.

He gritted his teeth as he looked beside his flustered goddess with a stone hard expression. "I'm sorry, Kami-sama. Bear with me for a while."

Without making another reply, he sprinted away as the monsters give chase.

Natsu was an able runner and with his current abilities as of now made him able to keep up the pace despite carrying a person. The monsters relentlessly followed regardless of their distance towards them which didn't really change much of their situation. What's more is that some monsters that are located from farther places of the stadium began noticing them as well, prompting to give chase in the process.

A pair of orcs ran in their direction, causing the adventurer to turn his attention towards them with caution. Both carried wooden clubs capable of killing a normal human being in just one swing. A blunt hit could break any bone in the body, causing fatal results. Additionally, the muscular structure of its wielder made it obvious that it's not a good idea to confront it head-on.

A large club was swung at their way. Natsu slid underneath with his knees, barely missing the hit while keeping Hestia in his arms. The monster staggered at the amount of force it put in its swing as the pinkette faced the other one. Recovering his stance, he planted his foot right on the other orc's face, using it to jump away and continued sprinting. The two monsters staggered at the swift action, giving enough distance away from danger for the other two.

More and more monsters eventually joined in, turning it a party of monsters just like those in the dungeons. Natsu just kept avoiding the horde as much as possible. However, it doesn't seem to favor much to their situation and he isn't built to last long in the long run.

"Kami-sama. How long do you think help would come for us?"

"I think that time already went out long ago. And it doesn't even seem that they know our current state either."

"So basically, we're on our own."

Hestia simply nodded. She hated admitting it but the way they're trapped inside this barrier sounds like someone had purposely set it up to harm them or worse...

Nevertheless, she knew it would be a matter of time before they run out of options and got themselves cornered. At that point, it will be the end of them.

Natsu, on the other hand, gritted his teeth in frustration as he looked back, seeing the monsters pursuing them nonstop. No matter how much he tries to outrun them, they were stubbornly fixated on them, as if they were ordered to hunt them no matter what.

Monsters have a sense of engagement when it comes to unexpected adventurers. They were only aggressive when someone happens to stumble within their circle of territories which in the case of dungeons floors where most adventurers often wade upon.

These monsters, however, have a rather more aggressive approach to them than those in the dungeon.

It looks like there's no other choice.

Quickly finding themselves into a wall, he gently placed Hestia down. The latter feeling a bit confused as soon as they went to a stop. It was only then she saw the look on his face as he slowly turned his back and faced the incoming horde.

"Sorry, goddess. Although you'd said that I wouldn't do anything reckless, I guess I still have no other choice."

"Natsu..."

"It looks like I'll have to let loose for a while." Anger plastered right down on his face as the monsters loomed closer. With no other equipment in him, all he had is his fists, dripping off embers as he began unleashing his magic.

Without any warning, a burst of flames erupted upon his body, causing the intensity of the temperature to suddenly change around them. Hestia had her eyes wide in shock as she felt through the flames over her skin. Normally, the flames would burn her right off the mark but instead, the flames wrapped themselves around her and to him being the center of it as some sort of protection from any danger.

They danced around her like a thread of cloth, much unlike of what flames are usually used in its destructive capabilities. She could feel the warmth pressed around it as if they were coating her with protection against any danger. All of it came from the pinkette himself as his flames eventually made the horde stop in their tracks.

This is the first time she witnessed him unleashing his new powers for the first time. The power being exerted was unlike she had ever seen before. His magic is pouring out like crazy as if she was mistaking him as a Level 1 adventurer. She knew the improvements in his status but she didn't actually expect to drastically change this much as opposed to his usual powers during training.

Her eyes darted over his figure as the expression reminded her of the skill that he acquired during that status check.

 _The Flames of Emotion._

 _'So this is the power of the Flames of Emotion.'_ She thought in awe.

...

The monsters gave another set of roars as they retaliated against his intimidation. And it was not long until they charged in recklessly, dust kicking up in the air as they closed in at the pair.

The opposing side, however, merely gave a smirk befitting that of a battle-ready warmonger as he met them with the same response. The pinkette raised his right fist, flames circling around it in the process. The monsters approached in his sights, all simultaneously lunged right towards him like a predator making its grandeur at the capture of its prey. The pink haired adventurer didn't fear their numbers and simply swung his flame-coated fist forward, specifically at the ground.

A massive explosion resulted just before any of the monsters could even touch the boy, sending most of them away from the vicinity with burns and scorched marks. The roars turned into a cry of pain as the flames burned some of their bodies in the process, effectively rendering them unable to proceed. Some like the Silverbacks and the Hard Armored resisted the effects but still able to catch them off guard as they took a step back to reassess their situation.

The number of monsters was reduced at the first attack but that doesn't mean that the fight was over. The look on the surviving monsters glaring at the pinkette is proof that they won't stop their onslaught.

On the bright side, the attack eventually caused most of the monsters to fixate at the pink-haired boy as they proceeded to circle him, seemingly surrounding him.

Hestia stared in disbelief at the distance as she found him cornered. A heavy feeling weighed down upon her as she observed closely. The fight had her child outnumbered twenty to one. And that's not to say that most of them consist of Silverbacks, Orcs and Hard Armored which are known to be tough each in their own right.

As a result, she could only bear a trace of worry for the pinkette.

...

Natsu briefly examined the monsters one by one as they all circled him completely with no means of getting out. They're the ones that were able to withstand his flames so launching any sort of flames at them would lead to the same result. Their toughness sure exceeds that of the Ants he fought back at the dungeon.

He balled his fists, leading him to think that physical attacks might just be the right key to defeating these tough monsters. With the improvements he acquired last night, it might be his only option in order to win this battle.

A steeled resolve overwrote his face as he moved into a stance. "I'm all fired up!"

As if to respond to his statement, three Orcs sprung free from their stoic positions and attacked him. Natsu had fared better in reacting to dangerous situations in addition to his heightened senses, making able to anticipate the slow swings from the three easily as he ducked his head once again before sliding down. He then met the third orc who was just about to swing his club as soon as he recovered right after. Unfortunately, the pinkette had also developed agility and simply retaliated an elbow strike to its face, sending it flying just before any attack could be hurled against him.

He spun around, dodging another swing to the body as he pivoted his foot, hitting one of the orc's knees which resulted in them falling to the ground. He wasted no movement as he jumped backward, moving to another stance while leaving the downed orc blocking the other.

His feet kicked hard to the ground, sending a trail of dust behind as Natsu dashed straight, performing a spinning move with his head serving as its tip. A vortex of flames followed, forming into a shape of a drill as he called out his spell.

 **"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"**

The orcs didn't have enough time to dodge as the spell collided between them, sending them flying to the direction where it was directed, blowing away several of the monsters who happen to be in the way.

Natsu recovered in mid-air before his eyes caught sight of two Hard Armored, approaching them at high speeds. Their form of attack comes into a circling mass of armored spikes similar to armadillos which prove to be the most dangerous attacks by all monsters within the Upper Floors. The two charged in on both sides as they closed on him, seemingly to crush him alongside with multiple impalements from the spikes grown out from their shells.

The pinkette waited for the right moment to act as the rolling spikes neared him in a matter seconds. At that moment, he poured his effort down to his feet as flames soared beneath him, sending him flying to the air. At the same time, the two Hard Armored merely collided with each other, causing them to feel shake violently at the unearthly collision which gave him the time to see their openings.

Flames gathered around his fists as he merged them together, forming a large fireball above him and slammed it down back to the ground.

 **"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"**

Another fiery explosion happened within the arena, sending small shockwaves that even those from the outside could feel the slight tremor coming from the blast.

Natsu landed safely as soon as the flames dissipated, the ground leaving behind a huge burnt mark as monsters halted their attacks once again after seeing five of their kind easily disposed of.

...

Hestia couldn't believe what she was seeing right now. The overwhelming assault was deemed even dangerous for a party of adventurers when exposed in the same situation however, that danger doesn't really apply to the pinkette as he was steadfast throughout the onslaught.

It is as if he was trained to be in this kinds of situations, never fearing the number of monsters that come in his way. Coupled with that, his powerful magic at his disposal that could even incinerate monsters in just a flick of a finger.

In an adventurer's perspective, he might be someone called a cheat though she was the only one who had learned about it recently and it will be something she would like to keep a secret lest it would provoke the interest of other gods and goddess that might get their hands on him once word gets out about his rare growth.

Nevertheless, the situation seemed to favor them now.

Meanwhile, Natsu forced himself a front as drips of sweat took over his face, indicating the presence of a fatigue after using two spells in quick succession. He thought that he can last long enough with his new set of powers but it seems like even they compensate a lot for that lot of firepower. He'll have to watch out for his reserves as it would cause him to break down to mind zero if he used too much.

The second wave of attacks continued as several Silverbacks joined in the fray, their towering structure gave terror as they pumped their chests fiercely as a form of a battle cry. The large metals cuffs strapped onto their wrists which came from the subjugation resounded with broken chains that further added to its dangerous attacks.

The pinkette dispelled his flames and immediately moved to a close-combat tactic to save up his magic. A large fist was sent in his way, prompting him to dodge quickly to the side before leaping back as the Silverback attacked with a set of combos. Natsu was quick to adapt to their movements after a few moments of fighting with them. With his keen observation during battles, he was able to discern the pattern of their attacks and how they move in such a manner when engaging people.

It's one of his advantages despite being in the dungeon for five months. Not all adventurers could master or even spend the time observing their opponents. Most would just go in for the kill and level up. Only then before they would start using their observation on the stronger monsters as they proceed further below. Natsu accumulated his experience in the dungeon, examining every type of monster he encountered with and adapted quickly that enabled him to progress steadily and explore their weakness in a short amount of time.

Facing another Silverback, the pinkette dove beneath its large body structure, sliding beneath it and recovered just in time to charge up his own fist.

 **"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"** A powerful blow resounded in the arena as the unguarded Silverback was pushed away in the process.

Another group of monsters entered his eyes as they charged in once more.

"You're all annoying!"

He charged in, meeting one of the monsters head-on with an elbow straight to the face. He quickly stretched both his hands, grabbing two of the nearest monsters in the head and spun himself violently, creating a whirl using the monsters in his hands to push away the rest of them. The force applied to those hands were strong enough to lift them off the ground and used as a weapon.

As reckless as he is, his method of attacks were completely unorthodox and unexpected which is another key advantage.

Letting go of his hold on the monsters' heads, the pinkette sprinted further as the disoriented horde could only stare on the spot as he continued to distract them away from his goddess. During the first stages of the battle, he has been keeping a fair distance of his fight against the monster away from Hestia due to fearing that they might revert their attention to her once again.

With his goddess out of harm's way, he can fight perfectly without the need for worrying the rest of the monsters chasing him as their main opponent.

Or at least that's what he thought...

As if to respond to his fears, he noticed the monsters soon came to a stop, as if something had caused them to cease moving. Each of them not moving a single muscle like they were in a trance. At the same time, the pinkette felt a sudden change of atmosphere as he couldn't discern what was causing them like this.

...

On the other hand, a voice coming from an otherworldly presence flooded through the minds of the unmoving beasts.

 _'The girl is your target. Make him feel helpless. Make him feel desperate.'_

As unnoticed it could be even from the adventurer's heightened ears, the monsters heard the soothing voice and heeded its request without question as they quickly changed their attention towards Hestia whose eyes suddenly widened at the intense stares she had been receiving from them.

It didn't take long for her to realize what the next scene would play out as her feet suddenly sprung her body back up, seemingly due to adrenaline after minutes of sitting away from the edge of the arena, observing the fight.

Those eyes aren't just there to stare at her for a reason.

Hestia knew that too well and made her feel wary of the sudden change of situation. Even Natsu seemed to notice that the monsters have for some reason, turned their focus on Hestia alone. A sense of worry went past him, wasting no time to reach back to her at all cost. His feet lifted off without warning as he shouted.

"Kami-sama! Run―!"

Unfortunately, his shout was cut short as he saw a pair of large arms were swung at him, causing him to raise his arms up right in his face to avoid the hit but nevertheless took it head on due to his carelessness of his current situation.

Recovering a few meters away, his eyes darted over to the two Silverbacks holding him down from his path to reach back to Hestia while the rest continued to march back to her.

Anger rose up in his face as flames soared once more throughout his body as he faced the two Silverbacks with sheer rage mix with desperation.

"Get out of my way!"

As if the monsters could have the capacity to speak, the pinkette was only replied with a series of growls from the two which only fueled his emotions. All sense of logic was lost on him as he recklessly released all reserves onto his body, pushing his limits far as more magic was poured out from his body without warning.

The potent destructiveness of the flames grew high as the ground around him was scorched in the process, causing the Silverbacks to take a step backward at the intense heat. The flames enveloped the pinkette completely, vaguely showing his appearance as a pair of red orbs glowed at the center. The monsters were slightly frightened by the sight as Natsu glared right past them and showed his only attention at the petite goddess slowly being cornered by the other monsters.

Even though he was far apart, he could hear the faint cry of help from Hestia as her figure was slowly overwhelmed by the looming shadows of the monsters ready to crush her.

"Help me, Natsu."

And it was only then, his thoughts went cold as one of the monsters slowly brought its giant club down at the goddess without remorse.

...

"KAMI-SAMA!"

A shout resounded across the area, followed by a booming explosion as the pinkette flared up in flames, dashing towards danger to rescue his goddess. An immense burst of fire erupted within his feet that propelled him as fast as bullet, easily overcoming the two Silverbacks guarding him and pushed through the surrounded horde just in time to shield her but at the same time, took the full blunt force of the club swung at his back that sent him flying all the way to the other side of the arena along with Hestia.

An unearthly impact resulted as the two figures were sent crashing to the edge of the walls of the coliseum, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process.

A momentary silence went up in the air as the fighting ceased for a moment.

Hestia coughed at the dust floating around her. Her thoughts concerning the pinkette occupied her rather than her current state as she could still feel the tight embrace that protected her from the attack. The dust lingered for a few seconds until she can finally open her eyes.

She then heard a loud cough followed by a pained grunt as she recognized the voice of the person that only she could remember no matter how coarse or different it may sound.

"A-Are you... alright, kami-sama?"

"Natsu..." Her lips opened; a sense relief washed over her but it was only for a moment as soon as her eyes witnessed his current state.

His body now filled with scratches and dirt from the impact that he received from the attack; his back having the most noticeable damage where he took the hit deliberately to protect her from the deadly swing. His clothes were also not spared from the impact as well, coupled with moderate wounds that could not be easily treated in just a short time.

Any adventurer could die from either shock or internal bleeding due to the force of the blow that he took for her. It's a surprise how he was able to speak or even move for that matter after taking that kind of hit but that wasn't the cause of her worry at the moment.

"N-Natsu! You're... You're bleeding..." She tried to speak but was too overwhelmed by the sight of him being severely injured to the point that he might really die out of bleeding as shown by his coughing fit that resulted in a patch of blood that came out in the process.

The goddess was deeply terrified, unable to do anything as some part of her hands were stained with his own blood that came from his wounds.

This was her first time actually witnessing such a sight.

A sight where adventurers that may or may not come back in the dungeon if monsters prove to be their greatest threat and danger as well as their last moments before dying from their own hands.

She wasn't aware of such a thing since she was never the one who had ventured down to the dungeons herself and the sight of Natsu slowly bleeding to death was something that shocked her deeply.

She was too paralyzed to even think about the next course of action to help him as she noticed her hands shaking terribly due to his own blood. As someone who came from the heavens, something like this could still cause her to fall down in shock and horror, especially if someone that is close to her is put to this kind of situation.

Silence assailed in the air as Hestia kept staring in shock, finding herself in the arms of her one and only child that could die at any moment because of her. That thought quickly eroded her mind, consuming her with guilt.

―However...

A slow movement was made from the pinkette as his arms wrapped themselves closer to her. At that moment, her thoughts were cut short as she could feel a hint of life coming from him despite how terrible his conditions are.

One could call it a miracle if he was still able to move and pull her closer to him protectively.

Ignoring his pain, the pinkette could only mutter a relieved tone.

"I'm glad... that you are safe."

Those words alone carried nothing but warmth and assurance as Hestia quickly darted her eyes onto him who now managed to open them along with a soft smile.

"N-Natsu..." She called his name; tears started forming in her eyes as she saw him alive, thinking that the injuries might have been too much for him to keep him conscious.

Natsu could care less of anything in the world except being there for her at all times. He didn't know why but he was just glad to have been able to shield her from danger. He didn't care his own injuries and simply kept that one thing close to his mind: to protect her.

The only thing he would regret is seeing her cry for him. He hated seeing her like that. That's why he simply tugged her up close to him as a sign of reassurance, to shelter her away from that growing anguish.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I just couldn't forgive myself if it were you to get hurt. I'm alright..." He muttered.

"B-But you're..." Seeing how barely fine he is, Hestia wasted no time to worry his injuries, disregarding his reassurance.

However, the pinkette slowly rose as he emerged from the crash. He staggered himself for a few steps, exposing himself to the horde of monsters standing a few feet away from him.

Hestia, completely baffled at the sight of him still being able to move despite his injuries, merely widened her eyes in shock. His wounded figure stood firmly in front of her; a resilient courage appearing in his face as his fists tighten to a lock. His clothes dirtied from the all the rubble around them along with a few dried blood stains that hung on some parts of his clothes as the pinkette wiped away the fresh blood from his mouth.

"I don't want to lose someone precious to me. No matter how many times I would injure myself, as long as I can protect you, that's all I can care about more than anything else. That's what being in a familia really means to me." He smiled sincerely.

The petite goddess could only look in utter surprise as he turned his back on her and finally faced the monsters one more time.

"Right now, I'm fighting for the one I cared the most. I will do anything in my power to protect my goddess! That's all I can think of right now!" He declared.

One would mistake it as a declaration of a confession. At least that would Hestia would think of if not for the current situation they're in. However, she could only feel his genuine feelings in those words as she watched him confront the monsters once more with sheer determination.

She could've shouted at him to save himself but she didn't. Something in her heart tells her not to interfere but rather watch. As much as she wanted to go to him and tend his wounds, she was compelled not to.

She could only watch the unfolding situation.

...

Natsu slowly dragged himself close to the battle. His body ached at the sore wounds that he got from the hit but ignored it nonetheless as he endured the searing pain. A series of growls resounded from the horde as they glared at him for blocking them to reach their objective.

The adventurer smirked as soon as he regained his composure. He slowly went up to a stance once again as flames flickered around his fists.

"I won't let any single one of you lay a finger on her!" He taunted and after a few seconds, the monsters attacked him once more.

Natsu stood on his own ground, collecting enough magic at his disposal as flames coated his body and flared violently around him. A series of attacks were thrown towards him but he simply sunk his body only for a moment as he inhaled deeply, gathering the flames right around his mouth.

Within a few moments, the flames around him disappeared as he puffed his cheeks before releasing them from his mouth towards the attacking monsters.

 **"Fire Dragon's Roar!"** A swirl of fire erupted from his mouth, enveloping the monsters right in front of him in flames and caused a string of cries and pained howls as the beasts agonized from the extreme heat of the flames burning through their bodies.

While the spell successfully blew most of them back, some monsters who weren't caught in the blast charged in to cut him down. Natsu traced his eyes towards them as two orcs approached him from opposite sides, each having their large blunt weapon at hand.

One of them swung vertically at his position, prompting him to swiftly dodge out of the way before he could receive the hit. The second strike came from behind as the other tries to pin him down with a win of his own, not giving him any more chances to dodge.

However, the pinkette simply flipped himself, barely avoiding the swing once again as a dust cloud kicked up at the point of impact. Planting both his hands down on the ground, Natsu pushed them off as he delivered a succeeding counterattack with a kick. The orc's body lifted into the air before crashing down, easily knocked out in the process.

More monsters came to his way as he bursts his feet in flames, propelling him out of the way and dashed straight to one of them head-on.

 **"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"**

A flame-coated headbutt smashed right through its chest, defeating it easily as Natsu recovered a few distance away before feeling a strong fatigue welling up in both his mind and his body.

 _'N-Not yet! I can't lose focus yet. Not until I defeated them all.'_

Suddenly, his eyes widened his shock as a Silverback managed to creep behind him and immediately swung a quick hook, causing him to raise his hands to block the attack in the process.

A brief sound of two fists colliding boomed in the air, sending the pinkette tumbling away after carelessly finding himself open for a moment. However, his main concern still goes for the safety of his goddess as he didn't waste any time sprinting against his attacker in retaliation.

The Silverback simply raised its giant hands above, clasping both of them to crush the approaching figure. As soon as he got in range, it swung down with all his might, not anticipating the sudden jump as Natsu flew overhead it, flaring one of his feet and struck down.

 **"Fire Dragon's Claw!"**

His feet powered right from its head all the way down to the ground before exploding in flames.

The pinkette panted heavily as the growing exhaustion entered his knees. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness at the constant use of magic. Anymore would result in experiencing a mind zero if he goes any further.

He gripped onto himself, seeing his vision also getting affected by the extreme consumption of magic. Several monsters remain as they close in on him to attack. He must finish it in one blow.

Positioning himself once more in front of Hestia, Natsu took a step back, assuming a different stance. His arms circled around his body which is slightly twisted in a clockwise. He hadn't tried out this spell yet but now is the right time to be using it. It's one of the spells that he learned by instinct after getting that massive boost from last night. He didn't know how it came to light but the knowledge just absorbed itself in him, enabling him to use this without any repercussions except for a massive depletion of magical reserves.

Even he thought that using this would greatly reduce his magic even at full power. The only consequence is that he'll be using it with little power he had left.

Not that it all matters since Hestia's life depended on this final attack.

He opened his eyes as he focused all his remaining magic on his two hands. After releasing a short breath, he muttered.

 **"Dragonslayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus, Exploding Flame Blade!"**

He spun his arms around. A pair of whirling flames erupted on both his hands, combining into one flaming vortex as miniature explosion revolved around it as it went towards the monsters head-on. They didn't have the time to react as the spell simply consumed their bodies in flames before disintegrating.

The whirl ravaged for awhile before exploding, resulting in a tremor.

Hestia covered her head as the force went past around the enclosed barrier, causing violent winds that hammered the area in all directions. It didn't take long before the whole event subsided as a huge cloud of dust hovered at the center where the remaining monsters once stood.

After a few more seconds, her eyes wandered at the lone adventurer standing atop of all that destruction.

...

Natsu felt like a huge hammer had been brought down to his head as the results of the mind zero immediately took over his body. His vision darkens and all sorts of movement on his body ceased. He fell limp and collapse down on the ground, not even sure if the spell had worked out. His senses went dull as the last thing he saw was his goddess running towards him.

A roar resounded within the dust cloud as a single Silverback emerged itself from the chaos, seemingly unharmed from the blast. It looks like the number of monsters caught up in the spell weakened its power, eventually enabling the monster to somehow resist the attack at the last second.

Just as it was instructed earlier, it finally caught sight of the girl and charged in with haste.

The petite goddess noticed the remaining monster about to pounce on them. With nothing to fight back, she could only shield the unconscious pinkette with her body, wrapping herself around his head and closed her eyes.

Expecting a hit, she was prepared to meet her end but no such thing happened. She opened her eyes and then heard a sound of cracking glass, followed by another sound of piercing flesh.

She glanced to confirm, opening her eyes, only to find the Silverback stopped dead in its tracks, its face gazing towards the sky for some reason. The goddess was confused at first but then noticed a thin sword standing atop of it.

After a few seconds, the monster vanished into thin air, leaving only its magic stone.

Hestia was surprised to see that they were saved as she looked up to the barrier, catching the hole where the sword had supposedly come from. The purplish barrier soon cracked as the spell was eventually broken, revealing the outside world once again.

At that moment, another figure landed right next to them as the goddess looked up to see a bright sway of golden hair.

"Are you alright?"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Natsu felt like he hadn't slept for a long time. He didn't get enough rest every time he returns to the dungeon due to him overstaying at the said place. The constant days of venturing down at the dungeon floors got himself less time to rest easy since he could not stay put in progressing his growth. Plus, the strong monsters born from there kept his confidence strong and continued to fuel his determination to grow stronger.

A faint light caused his eyes to slowly flicker open, ultimately finding himself staring at a wooden ceiling as it was the first thing that entered his vision ever since that fight. His memories are still dull due to the sleepiness lingering within but he could remember clearly of what happened during his last moments before blacking out.

He was there... out of magic. Hestia was running towards him in tears... And then, a golden hair... as bright as a sun came to rescue them from the surviving monster. Coupled that with multiple figures rushing towards them before finally fading out in the darkness.

He was sure that Eina was one of those figures but that's not his concern at the moment.

The pinkette tried to move a little but immediately found himself in a lot of pain as he saw his body bandaged up. From his chest and some on his arms and knees, he was covered a lot of white cloths perfectly wrapped around to heal the wound. His head also housed several cloths as well after experiencing a rather tough battle.

He winced due to the sudden jolt of pain from his movements. After a few moments, he relented from moving any further and simply laid himself on the bed he was currently resting at.

 _'Where the hell am I?'_ Aside from thinking about his whereabouts, he soon recalled most of his memories and it was then, he started panicking.

 _'That's right! Kami-sama!'_ Remembering the petite goddess, the pain from his body all but a moment, suddenly ceased as adrenaline rushed through his system, prompting him to lift his upper body in worry. Though his concern dissipated as soon as he heard a soft breath at his side.

He looked beside him and saw the goddess asleep, her arms crossed with her head rest on top. She laid herself next to him with a small chair supporting her lower half. A sense of relief washed over him, seeing that she was okay.

However, his sudden jolt eventually caused her to flicker her eyes open, rubbing them to shake off the doziness and stared at the woken adventurer.

"Natsu..." For a moment there, the pinkette thought she was still in a daze as she offered a rather monotone reply towards him. It didn't take long before her senses finally worked together and threw herself onto him in pure joy.

"Natsu! You're awake! You're really awake! I was so worried!" Like a flood of emotions coursing through her, the goddess could only express her happiness and comfort at the sight of her child finally awake.

It was enough to bring her to tears as Natsu felt his bandaged chest slightly dampen.

"I was beginning to think that you're never gonna wake up! I waited... I really waited for you to wake up!" He heard her cries as he merely gave a hug of his own, finally finding himself coated with warmth in the hands of his goddess.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, kami-sama." He apologized.

"Mhmmm... You don't have to say sorry. I'm just really glad to see you okay."

"Me too... I'm glad you're safe and sound."

They took a few moments to catch up with their own matters as they eventually broke away from their long embrace. Hestia took a few seconds to observe him before speaking.

"You're all bandaged up."

"Yeah well... I guess it'll take time to get these off since I can still feel really sore moving around." He grinned jokingly, trying to flex his arms to only to be met with another streak of pain in the process.

Hestia giggled at his bluff. It's good to see him fine and all. She feared that the battle made him traumatized but it looks like it didn't.

"You're welcome to try and be manly but you really need more time to rest before you could reassure me."

A pair of laughs hung in the air as the two conversed with each other for a moment before Natsu changed topics.

"Oh that reminds me, how long was I out for?"

"Roughly three weeks."

"Ah, I thought I was out for―WHAT?!" Natsu hung his mouth in shock as soon as he heard her statement. "Three weeks?! I've been out for almost a month?!"

Hestia nodded to confirm his question. At that moment, Natsu placed a hand over his head. "Really? I've been out for that long?"

"You were lucky to even be waking up, you know. When you passed out, I had to call for help. I even had to plea from the Loki Familia just to heal you. I think her name was Riveria Lassford―or something. She was an expert on magic so she had to check up on your condition. You suffered a magic deficiency at that time."

"Magic deficiency?"

"Hn..." She nodded. "It's a much more dangerous sickness than a mind zero. She said that you used a lot of magic reserves and pushed yourself to the limit that even your body had succumbed to the deficiency itself. If we didn't get you the proper needs to replenish your magic, you might've suffered really badly."

"R-Really? To think that I was that close to dying." He muttered but was then cut short as Hestia suddenly buried herself close to him, cutting him in mid-sentence before he could say anything after that.

"Don't say that." He heard her mumble. "I really... don't want you to end up something like that."

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes as he heard her words. After a moment, his face softened as he reached his hand and gently placed it over her head. He slowly rubbed it before pulling her close to him in response. "I'm sorry, Hestia."

This was the first time he actually uttered her name. Normally, children of the deities refer them as gods and goddesses as a form of formality in honoring their name throughout history. Hestia could only hide her astonishment beneath his embrace as a blush appeared on her cheeks as she heard him referring her by name.

Nevertheless, she was quite happy that he said it.

"I don't want you to go... That's why... don't say something as casual as that, okay?"

"I understand."

After that, they finally got over their intimate moments as the petite goddess replaced her bereaved expression into a positive one.

"Now then, I guess that now you're finally up, I suppose I should tell you what happened in these past few weeks."

Natsu nodded, immediately taking an earful towards her.

"First is about that barrier that was set up during the Monster Feria event. As far as I know, there's no lead to what made it appear in the first place so there's nothing for us to investigate more into it. The Guild has been looking at it to find something but I doubt it would give any interesting answers." She stated.

"I guess we wouldn't be seeing something other than that being an accident."

"Pretty much so. Next is the escaped monsters, the Ganesha Familia held responsible for the cause since they reported that the tamers carelessly and agreed to compensate for the injured party for that matter."

"That would mean us?"

Hestia nodded. "Even though I said that it was okay, Ganesha insisted on the request to let me accept the valis so I had no choice. He said that because my child was greatly injured because of his familia."

Natsu wanted to tell her about the monsters. Specifically, their objective in particular but he decided to let it slide for now to avoid any more complications of the incident. Although it might be a hunch, he felt that it could've been something that was intentionally done at the start to aim for his goddess.

He could only guess before returning back to the subject.

"It couldn't be avoided though I guess compensating is a bit too much."

"Is there something you wanted to ask?"

"Hm? Ah, right. I almost forgot. Where are we anyway?"

"Oh, we're here at the Benevolent Mistress. The owner was kind enough to let us stay until your full recovery. They said that you were a frequent customer here."

Natsu realized the name immediately and went to answer. "Ah, it was just recently. I met some good people here and ate at times. I need to thank them for the stay."

"Are you really fine walking around? Just now, you were flinching just by moving your arms around." She asked worriedly.

"It's fine. The recovery worked just fine. I'm good to go." He assured.

"Alright, but let me help you."

...

The pub was full of life as usual. Beers and drinks were raised the air, spilling some of it on the floor as the adventurers celebrated their return from the dungeon safe and sound. All kinds of races blend in together, creating a warm atmosphere as they ate to their hearts' content.

Natsu, aided by Hestia, slowly made their appearance near the door, connecting to the pub. Apparently, their room was currently located on the second floor where it was used as a temporary residence for those staying for the night.

The pinkette had almost forgotten how brim the place was since he was still hung up in his fight a few weeks back. A simple glimpse of the friendly atmosphere was enough to take away the tense feeling of fighting. It was not long until someone had noticed their presence, particularly to a certain gray-haired waitress who called out his name across the counter.

"Natsu!" Syr called out in joy as the male passed a wave, still unable to give a more lively response due to his injuries.

At the same time, the rest of the waitresses also caught sight of the two as they all momentarily paused their jobs to greet that pinkette.

"Ornya~ If it's Natsu-nyan!"

"Dragneel-san..."

Natsu saw familiar faces along with the other two more waitresses that he had to meet.

"Syr... Arnya... Ryuu-san. It's been awhile, isn't it?" He grinned as the three merely smiled at him in relief.

"I'm glad that you're fine. It looks like you've been through a lot." Ryuu started.

"Pretty much. I'm just glad to be alive that's all."

"I was so worried that you might not wake up at all. We all waited for you to come back, Natsu-san." Syr surprisingly grabbed his arm with both of her own, expressing her genuine happiness towards him. It was interesting to note that Hestia who was somehow out of the conversation at the moment had immediately set off her foresight-o-meter towards Syr.

"Thanks for worrying for me... Things happened and I ended up out for almost a month."

"Mhm... It's alright. I'm glad that you're still fine. That's all there is to me." A smile befitting that of a maiden in love.

Hestia was right about her foresight-o-meter-on-potential-love-interests. As a result, her tight on the pinkette's arm tightened.

"U-Umm... kami-sama... You're gripping me too hard."

"Mhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm~~" Instead of replying, Hestia could only puff her cheeks cutely while maintaining her eyes on Syr for some reason. One could easily say that the goddess was not thoroughly pleased with the unfolding sight between them.

Regardless, the conversations continued.

And it was only then, they were interrupted by another figure as the group turned towards the counter, seeing Mia Grand as she made her way towards them as well. It seems like even some adventurers came to glance at him, noticing that he was being crowded by all the waitresses in the pub.

"Well now, it looks like the little rascal has woken up. How's your night, boy? Slept well?! I reckon that the bed gave you enough sleep after that little stunt you did."

The pinkette soon remembered how intimidating Mama Mia was even at their first encounter. He just couldn't get used to her presence, as if he might get split in two if he got onto her bad side. Even Hestia seem to bear the same feeling.

"I-It wasn't a stunt or anything. We were just unlucky to be trapped there and all."

"And you came on top of it alive. Even going as far to protect your goddess. People have been talking about you since then. As far as I know, it's the first time a Level 1 adventurer would garner this much attention since most of them get ignored by the ones higher than them."

Natsu could only wince inwardly, noticing the multiple stares that he had been getting from the adventurers from their seats. He didn't know if it was a look of scorn or jealousy. Nevertheless, he didn't want himself at the center of attention.

"It was nothing special really. I just did what I needed to do."

"To protect your goddess it seems." Mia shook her head before turning towards the petite goddess. "Normally, I wouldn't associate myself on those sods anymore but let me say this: you're lucky to have a child like him in your familia." Mia offered a sincere smile at Hestia.

The girl overwhelmed by the compliment could only nod with a quick reply. "T-Thank you."

"Hnn..." Mia nodded. "Alright, that's enough chitchat. Back to work, all of you." Clapping her hands, the waitresses began returning to their previous ventures as they each offered their remarks to the dup before leaving.

"Hope to see you around, Natsu-nyan~"

"Get well soon, Dragneel-san. I'm sure Syr would more than relieved to see you going out on an adventure."

"Ryuu-san!"

The silver-haired girl flushed in embarrassment as the elf walked back on the counter, leaving her alone with the two.

"W-Well then, I'd best be going. It's good to see you again, Natsu-san." Syr smiled before going back to her duties with a bow towards them.

Natsu smiled, having to see himself able to return back to his normal life. Hestia held his hand as they both smiled and celebrated the night together with the others.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Two days have passed.

Just outside the broken church, Natsu hoisted his backpack as he finished all his preparations. He had pretty much all he needed to bring for today.

"I'm off, kami-sama!" Calling out to his goddess one more time, he waved towards her as Hestia stood at the door to see him off.

The past few days gave him enough time to recover from his injuries so this will be his first time going into dungeon after a month's recovery. The goddess worried for a moment due to the rather long halt of his progress during these past few weeks but the pinkette isn't all that disheartened. Instead, a toothy grin was plastered on his face, feeling more confident than ever to return back to the dungeon once again.

"Be careful out there!" She called out as his figure walked further away before finally fading out from sight.

Their normal days continued as usual.

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it. Next chapter, we will be moving to the next segment of the first arc with a new character making his/her first appearance for the first time. Guesses are welcome and I would like to hear from you guys about your thoughts on this chapter. All reviews are appreciated so don't hesitate what you feel about the story so far.**

 **I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here and I got another chapter for you all!**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

* * *

 **\- Party -**

* * *

It was a very dangerous situation. The petite girl panted continuously as she pulled her fellow adventurer away from danger. His body battered at the brutal hands of their attacker from the shadows. She, together with her other fellow familia member, helped him as they continued to flee from the monster in fear.

They arrived at another section of the floor. It was a dead end.

"We're trapped!"

 **RRROOOOOOOOOAAAARRRRR***

A menacing howl echoed from the passageway they just went through. The dark halls made it hard to see through until they saw a pair of red orbs glowing from the center. A slight tremor resounded through the floor as the beast planted its hard hooves on the ground with each step, slowly emerging itself in the light and revealed its monstrous form.

A minotaur.

The three were sure that minotaurs appear at the mid-floors so the sight of the said monster emerging in the upper floors was more than enough to throw them in panic and fright. As a result, one of their friends was injured in the process, unable to fight or even run.

"Marco-san... We need to tend Raul-san. H-His wounds are opening up!" The petite girl voiced out in worry, noticing her friend's state slowly worsen.

Marco, whom the girl called out, stood by in front of them, facing the approaching minotaur as it neared towards them. He wanted to help but that would leave the two of them completely defenseless from the minotaur. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Desperation ran through his veins just to save his two party members.

"Get away!"

He swung his sword carelessly, hoping to fend off the minotaur's approach by swinging the dangerous weapon in front of them. However, the monster seemed to be unhindered by his intimidation as Marco saw its stoic yet uncontrolled rage.

As their distance closes, Marco had no choice but to attack. With a single thrust of his sword towards its chest, he hoped to pierce its magic stone to kill it in one hit. He shouted furiously, pouring every bit of his strength in his hands as he gripped the weapon tightly.

 **CCCRRAAAAACCCKKK***

A sharp sting hung in the air only for a moment as the weapon connected through the minotaur's hard stomach.

The adventurer widened his eyes in disbelief as his sword smashed into pieces just as it collided with the monster. Instead of thinking that he might pierce the monster's flesh, it only broke his only weapon like it was nothing.

And then, the deathly swung came above him.

With a loud smack, the minotaur backhanded Marco as he flew away from the side, smashing to a nearby wall and went unconscious. The girl couldn't believe just how easy for the minotaur to defeat Marco even though he was their leader in their party. Raul, who was the other familia member beside Marco, could only move a little due to his injuries. He slowly grabbed a nearby sword from the petite girl's large pack, holding it firmly as he could despite lying down beside her.

However, despite his courage to even hold a weapon up front, it didn't bring any assurance to their safety compared to the monster's full form to their current state. Two of them are already down, leaving only the supporter to be the only one still able to stand up and walk.

Naturally, she could just leave and run but she didn't if it meant abandoning her fellow familia member behind. She just couldn't leave them like that. What kind of familia would abandon their own family?

The minotaur finally approached them, its shadow loomed over their figures as an overwhelming sense of fear coursed through them. Even Raul couldn't help the shaking feeling that he felt on his hands. It's like they're staring onto death itself.

"S-Somebody help us!" The girl could only cry out for help as the minotaur openly raised its fist to finish them. Tears flooded her eyes as the shadow loomed closer towards her.

As if to answer to her calls, a burst of flames erupted from the minotaur's face as a crimson blur went past their eyes and sent it tumbling away from them. A male figure captured the girl's eyes as he fiercely kicked the monster away and landed next to them.

"You guys alright?!" A soothing voice so sincere.

It was her first time to hear such a tone from another adventurer who came by to save them. As far as she knew, not many adventurers carry that same kind heart to help others. Most of them would probably run away to save their own skins but this person seemed rather _reckless_ to risk his life for them.

Seeing his entrance, the two could only nod in response, seemingly in a daze before being cut off by the howling roar of the minotaur as it regained its composure and glared at the culprit responsible for the kick.

"Hey, you two... go get your friend and head back to the surface. If this continues, you might get killed." He spoke, shocking the two.

"H-Hey, don't tell me you're going to fight that thing? It's too strong! It's a monster from the 17th floor. We're no match for that thing!" Raul shouted.

"Well, it's certainly strong but that doesn't mean I don't have a chance." The person spoke, a strong confidence backing his tone of voice as he steadfastly stood before them, blocking the minotaur from getting to them any further. Any sane adventurer would think otherwise and flee while they have the chance but this is the first time the two heard of someone not backing down from a fight against a powerful monster. They could've easily mistaken him for someone looking for a death wish if not for that declaration he made.

"I don't plan on dying yet but I also don't plan on leaving you guys out here with that monster."

Those words etched in the girl's mind as the figure rushed in to confront the monster. The two could only watch in utter disbelief as the adventurer battled the minotaur on equal grounds, even able to keep up his own from its tremendous attacks that could break a skull in two.

The petite girl was staring at him intently, as if in a trance. She watched him lift the minotaur with his own bare hands and smashed it to the ground. This is the first time she saw someone this courageous.

It was only then, the battle ended with the appearance of other adventurers from another familia to eliminate the monster. Apparently, the boy was struggling against it and was fortunate enough to be saved in the last second.

The girl felt like she had been spacing out for quite awhile as soon as her mind snapped back to reality. The adventurer rushed back to them, offering a hand to her as soon as the battle was over. Raul had fallen unconscious due to his injuries which all the more made sense of him to help her and the others. As she was the only one conscious enough to witness the aftermath, she stared at the pink-haired adventurer in admiration.

"Are you okay?"

And that was the last thing she saw of him.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Wendy opened her eyes as the light of the morning sun shook her body awake, warding off the remnants of her sleepiness as she rose from her bed. A small yawn escaped from her lips as she stretched her arms upward before turning her gaze towards the window beside her. The sight of the West Main flooding with people indicated the perfect time to go out and venture down to the dungeon.

She hopped off from her bed and proceeded towards a small mirror to fix her messy hair.

A few minutes of her personal hygiene, the blue-haired girl eventually went out of her room and proceeded downstairs leading to the hall where most of her other familia members are situated at.

The Robaul Familia. It's the name of the familia Wendy is currently affiliated with. Their god, Robaul, tends to his children caringly as most of any other god would around Orario. They were a small familia coupled only with several children who mostly go out and venture into the dungeon to earn their familia's earnings. However, like most of other small familias, they don't hold that much luxury and simply worked steadily like normal people along with their deities, Robaul included.

The god, on the other hand, didn't really mind experiencing the labors of the Lower World as it was one of the things that could offer for coming down and living alongside with the mortals aside from fame and entertainment.

Unfortunately, after the recent incident involving a minotaur, the familia had called off for any dungeon exploration on the familia members as both Marco and Raul who served as their leaders in leading the party is unable to return yet. The rest have little to no experience of the dungeon save for the supporters that came along with them often.

Wendy was one of the frequent supporters that tagged along with the two but even she couldn't handle the floor all by herself. She needed a party to be able to progress forward along with her level as a reliable supporter. With the two still currently recuperating, it's natural for her to stay away for any dungeon exploring at the moment.

The girl made her way over to the hall as she greeted her god sitting at the long table in glee.

"Good morning, Robaul-sama."

The old god turned to see the blue-haired girl beside him with a smile, offering her a smile of his own. "Ah, good morning, Wendy. I hope your sleep has given you enough energy to start the day."

The girl nodded. "I sure did, Robaul-sama. Though I won't be tiring myself that much compared to what I usually do in the dungeon."

"I know what you mean but as things go as they are right now, it's still impossible for both Marco and Raul to go out in the dungeon even if they are treated of their injuries. Their mental health should be also treated as well for their safety."

The girl understood what her god is trying to say. It's not like everyone could go back in the dungeon after experiencing that kind of incident a few weeks back. Even she was uncertain to venture down all by herself, expecting to encounter the same scenario that would lead to her own death. As such, the performance of the adventurer is also affected if their mental state is not dealt with properly.

She nodded in agreement before continuing the conversation. "I understand. I hope Marco-san and Raul-san would recover soon."

The god lightly shook his head in assurance.

"I'm sure they will although I'm surprised that you're not as mentally affected compared to those two. Normally, you would be the most affected among the group since you're not used to seeing things like that." He pondered in thought, slightly narrowing his eyes towards her in worry.

"Well, it's not that I'm not scared. It's just umm..." She paused, collecting her previous thoughts towards the adventurer who saved them the other day. His figure standing before them, stretching out a hand towards her as he looked at them with genuine concern surfaced in her mind.

Wendy thought that because of him, she felt safe despite how the situation had turned out for them a few minutes back. Perhaps of his sincere actions is what gave her the feeling of security.

She was so lost in thought that Robaul almost mistook her for dozing off while standing which prompted him to snap her out of her daze.

"Something on your mind, child?" The voice of his caused her to stutter as she faltered on her words.

"I-It's nothing... It's just that... I still haven't expressed my thanks to the one who saved us from that minotaur the other day."

Robaul's eyes perked up in realization. "Ah, you mean the savior that you kept talking about. From what I heard, he's currently part of the Hestia Familia."

"Hestia Familia?" Wendy tilted her head in confusion.

"It was rather new familia. I suppose they're the same as us but from what I think, he was the only child Hestia currently has at the moment. Even though they started a few months back, they didn't seem to have made any recruitments until now."

"Is that so?" Wendy pondered in thought as she finally heard some information regarding the adventurer.

"What does Hestia's child have to do with anything?" He asked, curious about how the girl mentioned him in their conversation.

"Well... I was thinking about thanking him for saving us."

"I see... I also forgot to thank Hestia for saving my children. I'm thinking of visiting her familia some time to express my gratitude except for one thing..." He lowered his head, his face bearing a rather complicated expression.

"What's wrong, Robaul-sama?" Wendy asked, puzzled by her god's sudden change of expression.

"I don't even know where they are right now."

Wendy fell short from her chair comically as soon as she heard his words. She recovered from her fall before putting a sweatdrop over her head towards the old god. "I-Is that really something to be worried about?"

"Well, I guess it's not that big of a deal. Aside from that, I'm also thinking about some things lately." Robaul pondered once again.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with Marco and Raul being out of the exploration at the moment, there are still others who can replace their roles as adventurers until the time of their full recovery. I shouldn't make any short pauses to the others' progress as well. As such, I'm thinking of splitting another party from my children to continue dungeon exploring. We can't earn anything if we don't send some of our members in the dungeon." He explained.

"So does that mean, we can continue venturing into the dungeon?" Wendy asked for confirmation in which the god nodded in response.

"Porco and Riz should be the perfect candidates as leading adventurers on the other party. They might not be as good as the two but they can earn enough along with the others that might be willing to come along."

"Others? Am I not part of the new party?"

"Well, considering that you're the most experienced supporter in the familia. I wouldn't want to hold your progress on the upper floors. You have to party up with another familia until the two could come back." He answered.

"Party... with another familia? I haven't heard of anything like that." She replied in confusion.

Partying with other familias is rather rare in occurrences. Most parties are circled tightly on their own familia but there are others who are desperate for partying up with members of the different familia in order to further progress level and experience. Some small familias with few members had to party with other familias in order to boost their capabilities as well as their progress in the deeper floors.

Wendy would be fine tagging along with the new party set up by Robaul but it won't be as much productive as she always had with the two since their party had been exploring on both the 8th and 9th floors. The abundance of monsters is much more prominent which in turn brings more rewards and item drops compared to the 5th and 7th floors.

"It's not as frequent to see that kind of partying but this could be the only way for you to continue your current progress as a supporter," Robaul added.

"But how are we going to get a party with other familias?" Wendy asked in confusion.

"Well, that child from the Hestia Familia could be a perfect choice for you to start. As far as I heard, he doesn't have any party members joining him at the moment."

"R-Really?" Hearing this, Wendy stammered as soon as Robaul mentioned the pinkette once again.

"I'm sure... It might be also a perfect chance for you to express your gratitude to him, you know."

"I-Is that so?" She muttered with a pause as she began to think about a possible thing. However, she also thought that he might decline her offer since she's just a low-level supporter. She thought that he would prefer those who have higher experience and level than her since she might weigh him down.

Robaul sighed inwardly as he saw through her current thoughts.

Confidence is one of her weak points, judging from the uncertainty growing on her face every time she thinks too hard on the subject. As clumsy as she might be, she also had a bad habit of belittling herself.

The god thought that having to party with Hestia's child might just help her erase that mindset even just a little.

He smiled inwardly as he proceeded to speak. "You shouldn't worry about your level at the moment. I'm sure that child would be glad to have you in his party."

Placing a hand on the child's head, Robaul smiled sincerely as Wendy eventually got over her thoughts and gave a beaming expression.

"Yes!"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The Guild is currently having its hectic work yet. The incident of the Monster Feria event had piled up a lot of papers for the members to look into before signing them individually. Papers regarding its situation, its cause, etc. all piled up into one massive stockpile which the members find rather tedious and annoying to look at.

Not to mention, the advising of adventurers adding to that responsibility for the Guild members is just too much.

Eina squinted her eyes, staring suspiciously at the pinkette in front of her who was grinning like it was his best day.

"So mind telling me why you're looking so happy today?" The half-elf couldn't hold in her curiosity, seeing how carefree his attitude was despite what happened a few days back.

She swore that she was almost close to breaking into tears when she heard that the trapped adventurer was Natsu himself. She didn't even realize just how worried she was when she finally saw him, lying down unconsciously with a lot of bruises and injuries. Added to that, the current state he had for excessively releasing a lot of magic which gave him magic deficiency almost felt like it was too much for him to even stay alive in this world.

Miraculously, he was able to pull through. Even going as far to defeat the monsters all by himself save for the last one which was disposed of by the Sword Princess after successfully calling out help from the other adventurers who happen to be near in the coliseum.

Nevertheless, the incident was resolved and none of the adventurers or people are killed in the process.

"Hmm? Oh yes. I wanted to ask you about partying." He asked.

"Oh, and why would that be?" Eina inquired.

"Well, Goddess said that the recruitment might take a while longer since we originally planned it during the Monster Feria but, you know..."

"I see... so you were asking about partying with other familias."

The pinkette nodded a few times as Eina collected her thoughts for a moment, releasing a quick breath before speaking.

"For starters, do you know anything about partying?" She asked. The pinkette turned his head away for a moment, a hand placed on his chin as he pondered through his collection of knowledge that he read under her tutelage.

"Not really... Except that it's good for making you go into deeper dungeon floors."

"Well, it's one part of the lesson but there are parts of it that you must know when you try to make a party. You see, every party has two types as you might call it. First is the adventurers that lead and do all the monster killing. Second is the supporters, who by its namesake, supports the adventurers in terms of slaying monsters, collecting loot, and even more. And while the latter doesn't necessarily contribute to killing monsters, they are reliable and can serve a major role in terms of the overall performance of a party."

"Oooooh~~" Natsu gaped in awe as Eina continued on her lectures.

"Because of this, party members can easily develop a chemistry between them, operating sufficiently as both adventurers and supporters that make the overall party a successful one. That's why in higher familias, they incorporate the same strategy where both two can cover each of their own weaknesses."

"Does that mean I have a weakness too?" He asked curiously.

"Well considering that your recklessness is my number one concern, I guess it counts pretty much as a weakness on your part." She blankly replied back.

"But I'm actually trying to be careful now." He protested.

"Not when the incident that happened a few weeks back! Do you even remember how long you've been out cold?" She scolded, causing the pinkette to sweatdrop in the process.

"H-Hey, it can't be helped. It's not like I didn't want to do it either way but my goddess was in danger at that time so I had no choice." He reasoned, earning the half-elf a breath of sigh in the process.

"I know... But what I'm talking about is you, Natsu. You've been always placed under dangerous situations. In fact, you almost died! Do you know just how frightened I was when I heard you got a magic deficiency?" She replied, a hint of concern visible in her tone of voice.

"I know what I did is wrong and I'm sorry for making you worry, Eina..." He replied, catching the half-elf off guard after hearing his last statement.

"N-No, I-I mean, that was not what I-meant! I'm just saying that you should take care of yourself, o-okay?! There are people who would feel sad if you were gone, you know." She stuttered, a firm blush colored her cheeks as she kept flailing her hands in denial of his understanding towards her previous statement.

Although, her last statement held some truth in it since she might be one of those people who will get affected if such a thing happened to him.

"Yes. Thanks, Eina." Natsu smiled; a joyful expression drew across his face as the half-elf gave a smile of her own towards him.

It looks like they finally settled back once again. It didn't take long as she eventually returned back to the topic. "Now then, going back to our discussion..."

* * *

 **...**

* * *

After immersing himself in Eina's lectures, Natsu journeyed on his way towards the dungeon to start his daily dungeon exploration. He learned a lot about the nature of partying and how familias use them to strengthen the effectiveness of each individual as they continue to work together in the process. It was an essential part of being an adventurer since no one really had the power to go down deeper into the floors alone.

The pinkette traveled near the fountain located just a few meters away from the dungeon entrance before he noticed an unfamiliar figure spying on him from a tree just a few meters in the opposite direction. He glanced over his back, seeing the suspicious figure hid away just in time but the pinkette had already seen enough to know that someone's standing behind it after catching a glimpse of its hair.

A long silky blue hair.

He deduced the height of the figure judging from its stature before hiding itself back into cover.

 _A kid? Or a dwarf? Perhaps even a crooked thief?_

Natsu didn't know but one thing's for sure is that he didn't like being spied upon.

He soon turned his back and continued his pace towards the dungeon entrance. At the same time, the figure also followed slowly, poking its head every time it made a new place to hide into before peeking again to survey the pinkette.

Natsu would've easily mistaken the figure to be some kind of a shady adventurer looking to threaten him if not for the poor approach it had been making every time it tries to tail him close to its sight. Anyone would've noticed it right away and glance back to catch it in the act but he decided to play along and try to lure it out further.

He arrived at the dungeon entrance as multiple adventurers walked down the large stairs leading the 1st Floor. The stalker walked along the crowd, effectively blending itself but Natsu had kept track of its scent and simply walked on further a few meters ahead.

Afterward, he made a quick turn to the left just before he could proceed down to the stairs leading to the dungeon. He expected it to not follow since he pretty much led themselves away from the crowd but surprisingly, found it tailing him regardless.

Is it feigning on purpose? Or just outright oblivious?

He didn't know but he will soon find out later on as he made another turn to the left, finding another passageway leading back to the city. As his figure disappeared from the corner, the figure broke into a sprint, hoping to catch him in its sights. But as it turned to the same corner, it didn't find the pinkette it was looking for. Instead, there was nothing over a few distance away leading to the stairs back to the city.

A moment of confusion was drawn on its face but it stopped as Natsu appeared behind it, therefore shocking it.

"So mind telling why you're following me?" He asked straightforwardly.

The figure could only mutter a light 'kyaa' in its voice, causing the pinkette to squint his eyes in surprise as well. The tone of the voice was enough to deduce that it's a female. At the same time, he caught sight of her blue hair cascaded down onto her shoulders as the girl quickly turned around to face him in panic.

"A girl?"

"I-I-I... umm... that was..." The girl stuttered, a tad bit afraid of being found out by him for stalking.

Natsu could see that she was having a hard time speaking due to embarrassment. She seemed to be an innocent girl if not for the stalking she did earlier for some reason. Regardless, her timid response was enough to convince him that she's a harmless person.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything though I don't recall seeing girls stalking someone as of late." He said, dispelling his caution towards the girl to ease her nervousness. He knelt down, matching the level of the girl's height before letting out a friendly approach in the process.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. It's not like I'm mad or anything. Anyways, do you perhaps have any business with me?" He gave the girl the time to calm herself as she tried to regain her composure before answering his question.

"Y-Yes."

"Me?"

"Y-Yes... Do... Do you remember that time with the minotaur?" She asked, prompting him to recall a particular incident that involved a certain party being chased around by the said monster. It took only a few seconds before he finally remembered and glanced back at the girl in realization.

"Ah! Are you that girl along with two more adventurers back then. I'm sure you were because I kinda remember your hair but I can't seem to recall much since I've been bummed out a lot recently." Natsu shook his head.

"Yes... I'm that girl that you saved the other day. M-My name is Wendy Marvell. I-I'm from the Robaul Familia."

"Natsu Dragneel, from the Hestia Familia. Nice to meet you, Wendy." Natsu grinned, reaching out a hand towards girl which somehow surprised her for a moment before accepting the handshake.

"N-Nice to meet you too, N-Natsu-san." The timid girl quickly answered with a stutter.

"So what brings you here, Wendy? Why are you following me?"

"W-Well, the thing is... I mean, I-I was curious if you're interested in partying..."

Natsu's eyes perked up. He was also absorbed with the whole partying thing that he almost forgot that he was currently talking to her.

"Really? I was just thinking about it recently. To be honest, I'm not really experienced about it since I never partied yet." He said, earning quite a short delight from the petite girl in front of him for some reason. Though at the same time, this is her first time hearing someone never knowing about partying.

After all, most people who strived to become adventurers become familiar with the mechanics of adventuring inside Orario as it was a basic thing.

"I-Is that so? You've never been to a party before?" She inquired.

"Yeah. Mostly, it's only me who goes down to the dungeon and earn by myself but I do get some benefits from time to time."

"Oh..."

So he was only a lone adventurer at the moment. Wendy pretty much understood his situation since she heard that he was currently the only child of their familia. Getting to party with someone mostly involve those on the same familia. On the other hand, it was also a good chance for her to show him the basics of partying despite being on different familias.

It looks like Robaul's insights on his situation were right.

"Well then, would you like to partner with me, Natsu-san?" She proposed, somehow surprising the boy in the process.

"S-Seriously? Is it okay for me to join your group? I mean, I'm just me."

"I-It's fine. You saved me and my friends back then. I don't really mind at all, Natsu-san."

"I see..." Natsu pondered for a moment before ushering a wide smile across his face, looking back at the blue-haired girl in anticipation. "Well, although I might be inexperienced, I look forward to partying with you, Wendy."

Wendy lit her face in joy as the pinkette reached out a hand towards her. A slight pause went between them as the girl slowly reached her own and shook hands.

"T-Then, I'll be your care, Natsu-san."

* * *

 **\- The next morning -**

* * *

Natsu had already departed from the church as soon as the sun rose up. With a quick update on his status from his goddess, he didn't bother checking up the results from her and went on his way much to Hestia's dismay.

The goddess fumed peevishly at his rather hasty approach but decided to overlook everything for now since it was his first day of partying with another familia. Although she was assured that the party was only temporary, she was still conscious of his partner being female. It was so sudden of him to bring this up last night since she didn't expect him to be invited out to a party but nevertheless, she reluctantly agreed.

...

The path towards the dungeon lies within his sights as he arrived at the fountain where their meeting is supposedly held. Countless adventurers walked past the fountain and into the stairs leading to the dungeon to start their day. Most of them come in pairs and some come in groups as far as five or six.

Natsu waited for a few more minutes, standing near the fountain in patience.

It was then a feminine voice resounded in his ears as he turned towards the direction where he saw the petite blue-haired girl approaching him. A large bag was seen carried around her back, making it seem like a heavy thing to carry though Wendy seemed experienced enough to hold it easily despite her timid-like stature. A small smile grew on his face as she waved her hand towards him.

"Natsu-san!"

"Heya, Wendy! Good morning!" He greeted. The girl stammered for a moment, forgetting to greet him much to her chagrin.

"O-Oh, good morning to you too, Natsu-san!"

"Natsu is just fine. I don't mind with the formalities, you know. Anyways, are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Yosh, let's get going!"

Walking in the same direction as most of the adventurers, the two trudged their way down to the dungeon floors, starting their day as a party.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Hestia walked around the giant library located in the southwest part of the city, hoping to look for more clues regarding on Natsu's unknown power. Ever since getting his recent status check after a few weeks on the Monster Feria incident, more dramatic changes have started to take root on the child's abilities. The numbers don't lie after recently checking his status awhile ago. It was fortunate of her to see that he wasn't as eager to see his status otherwise, she would've faked the numbers a slight bit since she was pretty much unsure of what would happen if he saw it.

Nevertheless, she needed some answers to come up with if the time comes for him to progress further, especially on his level.

Pacing through catalogs and rows of different book sections, she grabbed a handful of somewhat related topics about Falna and the history of the gods descending down into the Lower World as well as the mechanics of the Familia system.

At times like these, people don't have the leisure to read ever since the gods decided to live down with the mortals a long time ago. Hestia was more than motivated to look through all of it since it was also for the sake of her child.

She carefully scanned the books, sifting through pages of any related topics that might explain the unnatural phenomenon on the pinkette's status change.

"It looks like there aren't any books relating to dragons." She whispered to herself, trying to find anything about the dragon topics as well.

As she recalled, Natsu's status is most likely related to those mythical beings.

Like gods, dragons are what some might call, the strongest creatures ever existed in the world. Records of ancient histories pertaining to these creatures are long since erased which put her research to a halt, finding that they weren't as many sources that could lead her to find out more about the dragons. The dragons living down on the deeper floors are different compared to the dragons that once roamed the earth since time immemorial.

She even heard that they have the ability to speak much like the mortals unlike those from the dungeon which only spews flames and destruction whenever someone enters their territory.

It just dawned on her just how vague the history of the world that even she, as a goddess, couldn't even begin to understand.

She sighed, slumping her head down on the table in front of her as she couldn't take in all the things that have been bothering with them ever since that day. There are just too many mysteries even to these books. And that's not to say about Natsu's background as well.

Where did he come from? Who were his parents?

Why did she even bother coming in here?

Hestia was just about to flip the table out of frustration until a voice suddenly caused her to jolt back up to meet the figure beside her.

"It's quite rare to find you in this kind of place, Hestia."

The petite goddess didn't even bother to look at her a second time as she could easily discern the figure's identity just by noticing the beautified presence surrounding her very figure. All the males sitting around the vicinity are simply charmed by her presence as she stood in front of the twin-tailed goddess with a soft smile.

Her silver hair graced behind her back along with a silver-white dress suited for some noble parties. Hestia wondered about her presence being here in this place as well but decided to ignore it for now and greeted the fellow goddess.

"Freya."

The beautiful goddess offered a light bow towards her before speaking. "It's been awhile since we last talked. I wonder why we haven't had a bit of a long conversation together."

"It's just that I'm not used to dealing with you, that's all."

Now don't get her wrong. It's not that she dislikes her or something. She just couldn't get used in associating with someone who's leading one of the most influential and powerful familias in Orario. Not to mention her personality as a goddess of beauty. As far as she heard, the goddess had quite of a habit of enticing men, gods and mortals alike, just by her presence alone.

Freya smiled despite her reply and simply moved her attention next to the books she was currently reading.

"So what brings you here, reading all these books? I never thought of you to be quite the bookworm." She lightly teased.

"A-Ah this... It's just that I happen to think about reading. Nothing important really." Hestia tried to hide her intentions as able as she could since leaking the information about her child's progress would stir a lot of attention from other deities in the process.

What she didn't notice, however, is that Freya was pondering by herself, easily seeing through her lie but decided to play along.

"Is that so? Well, you wouldn't mind me accompanying you for awhile, would you?"

"Is it alright? Do you have anything to do with your familia right now? I mean, it's quite rare for you to go out here just to have a chat." Hestia asked, earning a slight surprise after seeing her taking a seat beside her.

"What? Am I forbidden to walk outside and chat with the other goddesses every once in a while?"

"Well, it's not that it's forbidden..."

"Then that makes it okay for me, right?" She said so with delight which was something that Hestia wouldn't come to expect since Freya doesn't always put much joy on anything trivial to her.

Normally, she would've just passed along and tended to her own matters but for some reason, she decided to accompany her. Aside from the lack of bodyguards she had with her, the petite goddess also finds it confusing regarding her fellow goddess' attitude.

She couldn't put it but let's just say that she's rather _proactive._

However, she simply ignored it for now and returned to her previous venture as she took another book and opened it. A short silence assailed in the air before Hestia heard her asking about something.

"I heard that you finally got a child under your familia." A sudden change of topic caused her to stop reading and turned towards her in anticipation.

"Pretty much. He's a good child though he had a habit of being reckless all the time." She answered, not revealing too much of her child's information since she wanted to conceal it, especially from other deities.

"So I've heard. I also heard that you were also involved in the Monster Feria event. It's been hard for you." Freya replied, earning quite an eye for the other goddess as she turned her gaze away from the book and stared at the silver-haired goddess in the process.

"It was an accident. We wouldn't have gotten out alive if it weren't for Loki. As far as I hated admitting it, she did a good job lending a hand." She hissed, a bitter face was drawn to her expression.

Freya could only giggle, seeing how both the two goddesses still couldn't acknowledge each other.

"I figured she would be snickering at her home, waiting for you to come by and prostrate in front of her."

"Like hell that would happen!"

Hestia stood up in defiance, comically refusing to accept the tease though, in a sense, she would've gotten so since she was technically saved by her regardless of anything. It is as if Loki owed her for saving both her and Natsu in the process which is why she felt really annoyed when Freya talked her about it.

But as the conversation was going, Freya slowly stood up from her seat. "Ah, it looks like I have to go."

"Already?" Hestia asked in confusion.

"It is just as you said, there are things I needed to do with my familia. I'm afraid I won't do as much time in accompanying you, Hestia. But I do enjoy our conversation." She smiled.

"Same here but I'm still not used to it."

Freya giggled yet again, amused by her frankness as she walked back to the entrance, leaving the goddess one more glimpse before heading off in the distance. Hestia merely stood from her position, puzzled at the sudden turn of events.

While she didn't hold anything against the goddess, she figured that she just didn't come here to merely have a chat. Nevertheless, nothing seemed to be leaked out from her lips regarding the pinkette and decided to forget all of it and returned back to her books once again.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Natsu and Wendy easily journeyed down straight to the 9th floor. They progressed steadily, defeating monsters along the way and even tested out their abilities as party members. So far, they got quite a good chemistry in their teamwork as the former provided with extreme offensives in clearing out monsters with his magic while the latter displayed good support by means of defeating other monsters and surveying the course of the battle. At the same time, she also had quite a talent for collecting loots in a short amount of time due to her experience as a supporter back when she was still partying with her own familia.

On the other hand, the girl had also witnessed the pinkette's unique abilities as an adventurer in terms of magic. While she had seen a lot of adventurers dabbling in magic, it was her first time seeing someone who can chant a spell in short amount of time.

As far she knows, most mages strengthen their magic through long chants, depending on how powerful it was. The longer the chant, the powerful the magic becomes. For Natsu, the rule doesn't apply to him as his chants merely go around in one phrase while also delivering a powerful spell as a result without much an effort.

...

Clearing another section of the floor, the two took their fifth break as they settled in to pause and collect all the loot they gathered from the defeated monsters.

"All right. This should be fine for now."

"Yes!"

Wendy proceeded to collect the magic stones while Natsu sat at the corner to wait. They've been walking for almost two hours, trying to venture down deep further into the dungeon. This is by far, their deepest exploration yet.

A few minutes went by and Natsu decided to help out with the collecting. "Do you mind letting me help?"

"E-Eh?" Wendy stuttered, surprised to hear a proposal from the pinkette.

"There's more of them around since we've been like fighting fifty of them at once. It'll be much easier if I helped."

"U-Uhm... S-Sure." The girl reluctantly agreed as Natsu proceeded to pick up the stones as well.

To think that she would see an adventurer offering help in doing a supporter's job. This is the first time she actually saw someone lending a hand. In truth, she could've declined his offer since something like this is normal for a supporter like her but for some reason, she couldn't.

She had a feeling that Natsu would insist despite her refusal later on.

 _What a strange man._

It didn't take long as they finally got all the magic stones and placed over a huge sack where they put all their drops and loot of today's dungeon exploring. Natsu and Wendy settled right next to their stuff as the former brought out a bento from his backpack and opened it.

"Let's take a short break. It's been awhile since we had our breakfast. We kinda need more energy if we're going to continue our exploration." Natsu offered.

"Of course." Wendy agreed, taking out her lunch as well.

They opened their lunch and started eating whilst continuing their conversation together. Eventually, the two talked a lot about each other starting from their pasts and even got to know each other in a short amount of time. However, the two didn't expect to prolong their conversation as they went on, not minding the time they've been sitting out in the open on the dungeon.

Needless to say, they didn't mind at all.

...

"So what's it like in your familia, Wendy? I mean, how's it for you?"

"It's a really great familia. Robaul-sama takes good care of us. Ever since I arrived at Orario with my grandmother, he offered us a place to stay and eventually, we settled in as members of his familia."

"Heeeeeeh~~" Natsu mused. "Maybe I should pay a visit to your familia if I had the chance. Goddess had kept in touch with other familias. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet your god too as well."

"R-Really? Do you think so?"

"Yeah! It wouldn't be bad to party with the others too. Plus, it's better than being alone out here. I guess being in a party is a lot more fun than I thought it would." He smiled.

"Right!" Wendy nodded cheerily.

"So what do you want to ask me about?" Natsu asked.

"Oh right. I was wondering where you're from before coming to Orario. I mean, I'm sure you've been somewhere before coming here."

A short pause went up in the air as the pinkette pondered himself for a moment at the sudden question. It didn't take long as he looked back at her and spoke. "Well, I guess I come from a small village called Magnolia. My father and I lived there when I was young but..."

"Is something wrong?" Wendy turned to ask, noticing a slight hesitation from his statement.

"Well... it's just that my dad disappeared one day without saying anything."

The girl stopped, immediately blaming herself for bringing up such a very sensitive topic. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to... I mean, I didn't know."

She tried to apologize but Natsu simply raised a hand for reassurance. "It's alright. It's been a year since it happened and I've been traveling around looking for him and eventually came into this city."

"Have you found any clues to where he's gone to?"

"Not one bit to be honest. It's a pain really. But it's not that I'm mad or sad because of it. There must be a reason for him to suddenly go off to like that without telling me. Plus, I met some great people along the way and I'm happy to be part of familia." He smiled, solemnly staring at his hand affectionately thinking back of his first encounter with his Goddess until the time they formed the Hestia Familia together.

Wendy merely stared at the boy in wonder. It looks like the depressing atmosphere was averted at least. She didn't know about the circumstances surrounding the pinkette but it looks that he doesn't seem to mind at all anymore.

...

After a few minutes, the two eventually noticed the time they took and decided to call off today's dungeon exploring.

"It's getting late. Let's head back to the surface."

In his request, the petite supporter nodded as they eventually traveled their way back to the surface and traded their loot at the Guild where they got all their money from all that monster killing. Surprisingly, the amount that they accumulated exceeded their expectations as they were handed out a pair of medium sized pouches, each containing an estimated amount of 22,000 valis which is more obtained in a party of five Level 1 adventurers.

The two were so occupied in learning their chemistry that they forgot to count just how much value they've been collecting a while back.

As a result, they could only drop their jaws in shock as the guild exchange gave them the pouches.

"44,000 valis?! We got that much?!" Natsu started his cycle of disbelief followed but the petite girl beside him.

"Awawawawa―This is too much..." Wendy was flustered in thought since this is the first time she actually earned this much. A worth of valis like this could cover their three-day dungeon exploration ahead in her own familia.

"Yosh, I'm so gonna eat a lot tonight. Here, Wendy!" He quickly grabbed the other pouch and handed next to her hands, much to her surprise.

"Are you sure with splitting in half, Natsu-san? I mean, I didn't do much so..." She tried to speak but was cut short.

"What are you saying? You earned it. You saved me awhile back from those Killer Ants, remember? Plus, You got good eyes since you've been carefully looking forward from our battles earlier. I would've gotten myself hurt if not for your warnings so thank you for that, Wendy!" He complimented, earning a light blush from the girl which in turn caused her to hide it in the process.

"T-Thank you, Natsu-san."

"Don't mention it. Anyways, I have to go. Goddess will surely have my neck if I'm not back in time. I'll see you tomorrow, Wendy!"

As quick as he could be, the pinkette parted ways and had already broken off to a sprint back to the West Main while the blue-haired girl waved off from the distance and eventually walked to the other direction as well.

While night has already fallen, shops and pubs opened for the adventurers who came from the dungeon to accommodate. The city lights lit up beautifully around the four Main streets as people roam around to relax.

Natsu slowed his pace to a brisk as he tries to wade through the crowd. The night is still young and the number of people going out around town continues to increase. He promised to meet with Hestia and eat at the Benevolent Mistress for dinner but it seems like he was already walking late on their time schedule.

He'll have to make an excuse for that matter.

As he made his way, he felt a bump on his shoulder as he walked close to an unsuspecting figure.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to―" He was cut off as soon as he heard a voice speaking at the same time as him.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

A few moments, their eyes met for the first time. It was also their first time ever meeting each other face to face as the pinkette was left staring at a seemingly beautiful woman before him. A long radiant golden hair graced down all around her back in a neat manner. She wore a white battlecloth with black trims along with a pair of arm covers and long blue boots. While she was mostly seen wearing a set of armors, the woman had none of that, exposing her slender body in just a thin of a cloth. A short black skirt accompanied her lower clothes.

A brief silence went between them as the woman seem slightly surprised at his presence. Natsu is the same as well, mostly to the fact that he recognized the woman right away due to her reputation as one of the leading adventurers that everyone strives to.

"Oi, Ais! Why did you stop? Did something step on your shoe?" Another girl peered over her shoulder, revealing a dark-skinned woman particular called an Amazoness. Unlike the golden-haired girl, she wore a rather revealing set of clothes.

However, at that moment, the two could only stand in the spot as they were left staring at each other.

A string of fate had made its first knot.

* * *

 **A/N: And chapter stops here. How'd you like the double chapter? Before any of you could ask, I was just deeply motivated to write this chapter in just a few days thanks to reading the novel once again. At the same time, this also gave me more information on what I would write concerning the plot of the story in the far future. As stated in the last statement, there will be a connection between the two in the future as well. If you read the spin-off novel of the original series, you would know that Ais' background is seriously hella lot of ground to uncover.**

 **Also, Wendy's role as a supporter of the story will be forever painted that way but I have some plans for Lili and Welf as well. I'm still trying out various things on characters and see how they fit in the world of another crossover.**

 **Anyways, tell me what you think of this chapter and I'll see you all again in the next chapter.**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here.**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

* * *

 **\- A Glance at One's Eyes -**

* * *

A streak of uninterrupted silence flew past the two as Natsu stared at the golden-haired girl in shock. A certain flashback went from the corner of his memories, catching the glimpse of the same golden hair during the Monsterphilia event. He met her during that time also with the minotaur incident as well.

It flowed gracefully into the night as if the wind dances around her figure. Her golden gaze pierced onto him as if the lights on background vain in comparison to it.

He felt captivated by her presence though as if he was caught in a trance. A spell if he would imagine but he betrayed the thought knowing that there's no such thing as something as a charm spell.

Still, it left him standing there wordlessly until a few seconds had gone past before he started to realize his current situation.

The fact that he stumbled onto one of the most powerful adventurers in Orario spells trouble for him, especially that he bumped into her by accident. As far as he knew, most of the people wouldn't dare stand in the way of the Loki Familia which also happens to be one of the most powerful familias around Orario.

It was because of their status and recognition that made them look at them in awe and wonder. At the same time, an invisible barrier separates them from the others, making them quite special in the eyes of the people. Like golden ores amongst the rubble.

Natsu was no exception.

Fearing of getting called out in the open, Natsu tried to step out of the way.

"Wait." The girl spoke soothingly yet firm as the pinkette was forced to stop and look back at her questioningly. Why was he called out now? Natsu was told not to engage with the Loki Familia by his Goddess for reasons unknown. Though right now, it seems like he isn't getting away any further now.

He looked back and saw her conflicting on the inside as if racking up the words she wanted to say to him.

Still, he never knew the girl more so even acquainted with her once. Whether it was some kind of mistake, he couldn't prevent himself to stand out now that a few eyes had glanced onto their direction.

Natsu grew nervous. He didn't like being looked at without any reason whatsoever since it unsettled him. Although he failed to realize the reason for the multiple glances due to the fact of the girl standing in front of him.

After a few moments, another group of people appeared behind the girl, presumably members of the same familia. They stopped at their tracks, seeing that the girl in front of them had stopped for some reason.

"Ais. What's up?" A person peered over her back, spotting an Amazoness with short hair wearing a rather revealing set of clothes. Her dark skin revealed a prominent trait to her race. At the same time, she also noticed the pinkette right in front of them.

"Tiona…" The blond girl called Ais, muttered, glancing at her companion.

"Oh! Aren't you the one from that Monsterphilia?!" The short-haired Amazoness voiced in delight. "The one who defeated those monsters alone! Is it true? How are you? Are you okay?"

Natsu, having not met the other girl could only mutter in confusion. "U-Umm… I'm sorry?"

"Ah, we haven't met yet, aren't we? You were like awesome back there even though we didn't see much of what's happened. Riveria told us about it." Tiona smiled but not after long a few more people appeared from behind the two, relinquishing any chance for Natsu to reply in the process.

"What's the problem Tiona? Have you been mistaking people again? I told you not to snoop into someone else's business. You're causing them trouble, you know." Another woman joined the group. This time, she had a long hair with the same race as Tiona. Looking at their facial expressions and appearance, it almost looked like they're identical. The only contrast they have with each other is there hairstyles as well as the chest region. A really large contrast, you see.

"I'm not wrong this time, Tione. He's the real deal. You know, the one Ais saved back then." She paused, turning her gaze away from her fellow Amazoness and back to the pinkette in glee. "I haven't gotten your name by the way."

Though as Natsu was about to introduce himself, another voice emanated from behind as a slim male figure appeared and walked next to the group. A look similar to that of a chienthrope, a race of demi-human with dog ears and tail but different due to the rather protruding fur appearance unlike that of chienthropes which are mostly smooth and pleasant in contrast.

Instead, his heritage came that of the lycanthropes or what is called as the werewolves, a race of demi-humans that had the appearance of a wolf. Like in the old legends, they are the wilder variants and are more unfriendly when provoked. One noticeable key describing them was their hostility and sharp tone.

His fur dyed in silver grey, almost shiny enough to reflect its colors from the bright moonlight if not for the vibrant colors of the town shining in the background altogether.

"What's holding you guys?! Hmm?" He paused in his sentence as he spotted the pinkette who was in front of them. "What's a small fry have to do anything with the Loki Familia? Get lost, you weakling. You're in the way."

Normally, anyone who encountered and recognized the man would just obey and back away but Natsu hadn't known him nor his alias so his initial response was obvious.

"Bete! You're being rude! You're always scaring people whenever your mouth blabbers out." Tiona came to his defense.

"Haaaaaaaah?! What's wrong with talking down with weaklings? They're weak and can't do for shit! A small fry should just set aside and go home if they can't become stronger on their own." Bete snapped back. Clearly, he wasn't going anywhere with this conversation.

Tiona gave him a cold look as he walked in front of Ais and looked at Natsu. "Get lost. You're in the way."

Natsu clearly saw the strength of the man in front of him. It was undeniable to see who's stronger between them and while he sees his confidence at the recent improvements of his abilities, it paled in comparison against that man.

After all, this is a First Class Adventurer.

An adventurer who ranked high from the rest of the adventurers.

Unfortunately for Natsu, that thought didn't give any option to back away and stood firmly on his own in front of the man.

"Hey, I don't know who or what you're talking about but I don't like being talked down from someone I haven't met." He retaliated which took the man by surprise as well as the two Amazonesses.

"Hoh? Aren't you a little confident for a weakling?" Bete sounded amused yet still maintaining his somewhat arrogant attitude towards him.

"I'm surprised... To think there would be someone who isn't scared of you, Bete." Tione muttered.

"Riiiiiiggghhht? He didn't even know you which means you're not that popular compared to us." Tiona mocked comically, snapping the werewolf in anger.

"What did you say, you little bitch?! He didn't even know you either?!"

The two soon got themselves under a head-butt struggle which momentarily left their previous attention from the pinkette.

On the other hand, Natsu merely tilted his head in confusion as he watched the Bete and Tiona create a scene as more people began looking in their direction. He was about to speak when a familiar voice resounded from behind.

Glancing over his back, he saw his Hestia running towards him in full speed.

"Natsu~"

The petite goddess ran to his side, effectively stopping him any further from getting involved. "What were you doing? I thought we're going to eat together! I got tired and tried to find you. What have you gotten yourself into now, huh?"

"I-I'm sorry, Goddess. I got held back on my way back." He reasoned.

Hestia was solely focused on the boy that she didn't even notice or recognize the group standing beside him. Seconds after, she grabbed his arm and began pulling him alongside with her. "Come on, let's have our dinner! We don't want to get late for dinner now, aren't we?"

"Y-Yes, sure thing." A slight stammer escaped from his lips as his voice shrinks in silence. The two went on, eventually leading away from the group.

At the same time, Tiona who had been at odds with the werewolf soon took notice of the scene and merely pouted in disappointment. "Ahhh, there he goes again..."

"Tch... What a waste of time." Bete clicked his tongue in irritation, walking ahead of the group.

"Muooo... It's Bete every time that messes things up!" Tiona puffed heatedly before calming down. "Well, there's always a next time."

Meanwhile, Ais stared at the two figures in the distance as countless figure concealed them from afar. Despite her doll-like expression, she was left with a wondering daze. She never had the chance to speak to him.

"What's wrong, Ais?" Tiona's voice called out to her, prompting her to look back. Her face leaning across her in curiosity.

"It's nothing. Finn and the others are waiting." Ais shook her head. Eventually, they turned their path to the other direction.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Morning came by and Natsu was already sitting on the couch where he had to check his status. It's been days since he saw his abilities and yesterday's chance was also ignored due to his excitement in having his first experience as a party member with Wendy. He had a lot of things to think about right now which caused his somewhat silent approach when his goddess greeted him.

The events last night was one of them.

True enough, he couldn't deny the words of the werewolf about him being weak despite his significant improvements. However, no one has ever improved this much at a level where adventurers are at their starting points. Natsu would've been proud of this improvement, his goddess included. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the ones with levels higher than him. Or specifically, it didn't matter.

Unlike him, these people ventured into the dungeon far longer than him and worked longer than him. Their achievements and improvements didn't happen in just a day to get them where they are now. The path of an adventurer doesn't have any shortcuts. Each and every one of them had to go on a journey to test their mettle in great dangers far more dangerous than themselves in order to level up. It's the requirement needed for the gods to acknowledge their worth as they trek level by level.

Natsu didn't care about the requirements until he received lessons from Eina. The more he looked at it, the more complicated the system of the leveling is to him.

The way to level up is strange. One must go out and challenge stronger opponents and face his own adventure no matter how treacherous it is. It's a trial for those who wanted to break away from their limits and strive for the infinitely domain of their potential.

Natsu had faced a lot of dangers and challenged monsters stronger than him in the brief 5 months of becoming an adventurer but even then, his level didn't change. And this what made him conflicted after realizing the gap between him and those people.

"I'm ready, Goddess." He said. His upper clothes now removed as he waited for Hestia to start the process.

Hestia nodded as she proceeded to take a small drop of her blood from her finger and into the markings on his back which glowed as it began to show the changes of the numbers that was written yesterday. While low-level adventurers experience a constant change of their status numbers every day, higher level adventurers rarely have any significant changes as their experience demands grow higher. No matter how many monsters one could defeat in the single day, the result wouldn't differ much compared to what they had been when they were low-level adventurers.

It's a basic go-to-go system of higher level means more experience.

"Alright, done!" Hestia bubbly spoke as she closed the status back, placing a sheet of paper and copied the results.

"Let me see." Natsu grabbed the paper after she handed it to him. A wave of perplexion occupied his face before slowly turning back to his goddess for affirmation.

Hestia could recall the first time he had the same look after giving him the very same paper that night. While she expected him to be livelier about it, she didn't expect the complicated expression that drew afterward.

 **...**

 **Natsu Dragneel**

 **Level 1**

 **Strength: B756 – A821**

 **Endurance: C699 - B788**

 **Dexterity: C652 – B741**

 **Agility: C677 – B770**

 **Magic: S905 – S944**

 **\- Magic -**

 **[Fire Dragon's Flames]**

 **\- Skill -**

 **[Flames of Emotion]**

 **[Draconic Aspect]**

 **...**

This is the second time Natsu had checked his status ever since his recovery. While he grew used to the drastic change of his abilities, the insurmountable increase of each of his status still made him surprised. Most of his stats are nearing in between B to A status with the exception of his magic which had surpassed the process a long time ago. Even a normal mage would've been delighted enough to reach S Class and that's saying something.

He wondered if this was the result of his continuous use of the new power he acquired a couple of days back. Because of his overwhelming spells, monsters in his usual dungeon floor level are easily made short work for him. However, even the experience he earned from them wouldn't be enough as he grows. This constant leap of improvement wouldn't last long as he progresses further.

He was starting to think that the deeper floors might be a good place to continue getting good experiences.

"I got another skill." His eyes squinted, reading the words carefully as he read it out loud. "Draconic... Aspect? What the hell does that mean?"

"Who knows? It's the first time I heard of it so it must be something new." Hestia shrugged her shoulders.

"So what does it do?" He asked. Hestia placed a hand on her chin for a moment before looking back at the pinkette.

"Well, it says that this ability gives you a boost of your physical prowess, judging from what it says on paper. Basically, it's another skill where it increases your abilities not just from the god's blessing alone." She explained.

"Woah... That's awesome!"

"It is... Falna aside, it's rare to have someone having a trait that increases your power. Most of these cases come from the heritage they inherited from their parents.

"I see."

"So how do you feel?"

"Well, not that different actually. I was hoping I might feel stronger." Natsu replied discouragingly.

"Well, judging from its effects, it might be a passive skill. You can always figure it out once you head into the dungeon." She said in reassurance.

Natsu smiled happily, turning over to his clothes as he quickly made his way back to the stairs with his small baggage hoisted around his back. "Then, I'll be off, Goddess!"

"Keep safe and be careful, alright?"

"Will do!"

"Oh, and one more thing, Natsu."

"Yes?"

"Keep your status a secret, okay? I know it's natural for adventurers to always keep their status private but I want you to keep it as close to you from anyone, especially from other familias."

"Sure thing!" Despite how slightly serious her tone of voice was, Natsu only answered with a joyful reply.

With that, he eventually walked outside as he made his way to the West Main, leading through the center where the dungeon was located.

Today is another day of an exciting adventure.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The 9th floor echoed with the sound of monsters as they emerged from the walls, spawning their numbers after being disposed within a matter of time from adventurers a few days prior. Now having to reach the time interval needed to fill the dungeon again, they appeared as if born anew with fresh bodies of their own along with the magic stones that sustain their form.

This particular phenomenon often gave some adventurers a rather morbid name for the dungeon itself, The Monster's Womb. No one knows how it was able to produce monsters but over time, its only reason is to fill itself up with a certain amount of monsters depending on each floor. And while this considers a danger for those who travel within, the quality of item drops and magic stones made it all worth for a living.

The new monsters walked the halls but only then, their instincts to attack come around when something walks into their territory. That of which, mostly comprises of adventurers that came from the surface.

A group of War Shadows closed in within Natsu's sights as he spun his body towards their direction after dealing with a few other monsters which are easily disposed of with a dose of fire magic. The pinkette charged in but right before he dodged an attack from a War Shadow which stretched its arms to reach out to him. He regained his momentum and dashed towards it, seeing a huge opening.

He clasped his right hand ablaze as he swung it right into its belly, shattering the monster's form with ease. Three more War Shadows closed in but Natsu had superior senses to know his surroundings.

In response, he went for the nearest War Shadow, catching its face barehanded and set it aflame. He then flung its body towards another same monster before releasing another fire spell with his hand still clamped to its head.

 **"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"**

In a swirling fashion, Natsu spun his hand, releasing a torrent of flames that both hit the monsters at point blank range, sending them flying.

"Wendy, now!" A shout escaped from his mouth as his body leaned away from the remaining War Shadow, seemingly giving a clear path as Wendy stood behind a few meters back, glowing with her hands stretched in front of her.

 **"Let the skies guide me in eliminating my enemy. I pray to the heavens as I'm entrusted with the power of the wind,"**

 **"... From the guidance of the Queen of the Skies, Sky Burst!"**

With a shout at the end of her chant, she released all her magic in a form of a compressed wind ball from her hands, sending it straight to the monster as it smashed right through its chest. The force of the wind was powerful that it obliterated the War Shadow on impact before slamming into the wall with the rest of its power still evident.

With that kind of force, it might probably enough to knock out a Level 1 adventurer in just a single strike if unguarded.

Unlike Natsu who was able to bypass any sort of chant from his spells, Wendy had to activate her own spell through an incantation much like other mages that amplifies its power. The longer the chant, the powerful the spell could become. It's the reason why mages are often being protected as their firepower could be the game changer of the tide of battle. However, they're not always limited to being powerless without protection. Some skilled mages develop enough training to protect themselves and simultaneously use their magic.

The blue-haired girl sighed in relief as soon as no monsters approached them. At the same time, Natsu smiled as he slowly approached her after witnessing the spectacle.

"That was awesome, Wendy! I didn't know you could do magic too!" He praised, earning the girl's embarrassment. This was his first time seeing her able to do magic. As far as he knew, not many would think about a supporter becoming that of a mage at the same time.

"I-It's not that strong. This is actually the first time I was able to use it. I could only do so with little help." Wendy said so while twiddling her fingers cutely.

"Well, it's a big deal now. You can practically handle yourself with monsters too. Thanks, Wendy."

"Ehehe..." Wendy sheepishly muttered. She could only accept his praise with a flustered look.

"Even so, I'm surprised that you have an aptitude for magic, Wendy." Natsu pondered. "I didn't know you have one."

He drew a curious look as Wendy began to explain behind her somewhat hidden powers.

"Well, it began when I received a god's blessing from Robaul-sama. Turns out I had developed an innate ability which enabled me to use magic."

"So then why you didn't become a magic user? It's natural for someone like you to become one rather than a supporter, right?" He asked confusingly.

"Well… at first, I considered to become one but I couldn't figure out how to use it back then. I didn't know what to do with it and eventually, Robaul insisted me to become a supporter instead. Since then, I've been only working on improving my skills as a supporter and left from becoming a mage."

"Then how're you able to use it now?"

"I didn't know... I think it has something to do with my status check recently. Robaul didn't give me the full result and just told me personally. It was weird."

Natsu soon recalled a particular scene back with his Goddess. While he hadn't any knowledge about Wendy and her familia, her circumstance somehow made him a bit skeptical about what also happened back then although in his case, Hestia merely told him to keep it a secret from anyone while still able to give him the results of his status wholeheartedly.

"Did you try asking him?" He questioned. Wendy pondered for a moment, putting a finger under her chin as she stared away for a few seconds before looking back at him.

"Well, I did try but he reassured me and said it's nothing to worry about."

The pinkette hadn't thought of prying into someone's business, even when it comes to someone he's close with. Nevertheless, he was worried for some reason.

"That looks suspicious though... Is he hiding something?" He couldn't help bluntly say it out loud.

Even Wendy seemed convinced by his speculation but she lived long with the god and she trusted him way back when she became one of his familia members. "It might be the case but I'm sure Robaul-sama had a reason for not telling me. I trust his decisions so I'll just have to wait until he tells me everything."

Natsu couldn't deny her reply for that matter. He smiled wholeheartedly. "If that's what you believe then I guess I have nothing to worry about."

"Hnn…" She nodded. "Anyways, we should start collecting. We don't want to catch ourselves off guard when the next wave comes."

"Oh, right."

Wendy quickly collected magic stones in her vicinity in a matter of minutes while Natsu steadily collected on his end as well.

"Say, Wendy. Do you want to go the deeper floors?" A sudden question from the pinkette made the girl look up in question.

"Huh? You mean, down the 10th floor?" Natsu nodded. "Isn't that bit dangerous? I mean, we're still a two-man party. I don't have any experience beyond this floor."

"Well, it's a first for both of us! This will be my first time going to the 10th floor. I wanted to see what's down there. Plus, the monsters there are pretty full of more interesting loot."

"I don't know... I mean, we didn't have any preparations for going beyond the 9th floor-" Wendy worried for a moment but not before long she was cut off by Natsu who was gearing up for a try.

"Come on! It's gonna be fun! Don't worry about anything. When it comes down to it, I'll protect you." Natsu grinned, pointing a thumbs-up. Of course, Wendy couldn't resist accepting his proposal after being talked like that. Not after seeing that fired up confidence he had right now.

The supporter released a soft smile, hoisting her giant bag around her back. "If you say so, Natsu-san!"

"Yosh! We're off to the 10th floor! I'm all fired up!"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The dungeon had many floors to accommodate adventurers according to their levels. For reasons unknown, staircases are seen to guide one floor over to the other. When the first adventurers went down the dungeon, these staircases were already built as if they were part of the dungeon itself.

No one knows for sure how they were built but it's become a useless debate that they eventually didn't care about their origins as well as the dungeon, leaving it in mystery. Large holes and tunnels serve as additional entrances which would've been the natural structure for its crude and ancient roots.

The two arrived a couple minutes later as soon as they found themselves stunned at the new landscape. Unlike from those from the 9th floor, the 10th floor was filled with mist, making it hard to see through the other end of the floor. Light from above becomes reminiscent of mist, adding a rather stale and dull color. Natsu had heard from Eina's lectures about how floors change as they go deeper but he didn't fully expect it to be so true in his own eyes.

"W-Woah... This is quite amazing. But seriously, I can't see a damn thing!" Natsu surveyed the area few distances away, catching almost nothing but empty ground with thick mist. Even with his enhanced senses, the mist surrounding the floor was thick enough to blur a few places from his sight.

Wendy, on the other hand, was faring rather worse at her own visions as she could practically see nothing beyond twenty feet before her. This might be a bit difficult for her who was trained to work at doing long-range supports.

"I-I can't see anything. Does this floor always filled with mist?" She asked.

"Maybe... It looks like we'll have to be more careful on this one." Natsu advised, earning the girl a nod in response as they began to trudge the floor grounds.

A sudden burst in the ground alerted the duo as several Imps appeared from below. They resemble almost like a Goblin from the top floors but their stature is smaller and their movements are quicker, making them a dangerous bunch.

Natsu stomped his foot, showing an intimidating presence as ten Imps surrounded them – six from the front and four from the back. He raised his hand in front of Wendy, making sure that the monsters won't make any reckless attempts to attack. He could feel the slight tremble from the girl's body as she tried not to stare too much at the monsters for too long.

"Stay behind me. Don't panic. These monsters always sense our fears, making them more tempted to attack. Take a deep breath and calm down." He calmly said, surprising her at first before complying with his request and did the procedure.

After calming down, Natsu lightly smiled. "Good... Now then, I'll take care of these monsters in front of us. You'll take care of those from the back."

"E-Eh? M-Me? Alone?!" Wendy almost forgot she was on a battlefield that she let out a shriek in the process.

"Of course, you still have your crossbow under your arm, right? Using your spell would be useless if you were interrupted midway. Trust me on this, okay? Now, get ready to shoot two bolts on them when I signal then duck, alright?"

"W-Wait! I don't think I'm ready for this-"

"NOW!" When she heard his signal, Wendy panicked and adrenaline rushed through her body, working them like almost immediately as she readied her crossbow fully loaded.

Four Imps leaped from behind as soon as they noticed their move. Wendy rose quickly at her feet, aiming at two Imps closer to her. In terms of speed, a bolt is much faster so dodging it would be near impossible for a monster of this level. Wendy didn't have the time to think about what was happening behind her where the pinkette was currently at and let go of the first bolt.

A sharp sound echoed as the bolt pierced easily at the Imp's head, causing it to fall in mid-air and crash past her. Wendy didn't turn around to see the dead monster and proceeded in aiming at the next Imp. She shot the next bolt, easily hitting the monster dead in seconds as it crashed on the ground before vanishing.

With two bolts fired, Wendy thought the next move. She immediately collapsed her feet below her and ducked as she was ordered.

The next thing she heard was an explosion of flames around her. Looking up, she noticed a couple of Imps being scorched away by the intense heat. The grass around her wasn't also spared from the incineration as it immediately turned into a scorching area, leaving only a portion where she rested unharmed.

A few seconds afterward, a couple of thuds were heard from her ears as the monsters fell back a few distances away. Some emerged despite the heat but it was clear for Wendy to notice what happened.

"Not over yet! Get ready, Wendy!" She heard him shouting a few feet from her. In their current situation, they were no monsters behind them which means that the surviving Imps all stood in front of the pinkette.

Several ground openings occurred in front of the duo as Orcs and Hard Armored joined the fray. Natsu easily recognized them from the Monsterphilia, causing him to smirk in response.

"We meet again, you monsters." As if inviting a rematch the other day, Natsu clasped his fists as glared at the monsters in front of him.

"Natsu-san! I'll support you!" Wendy shouted in the distance, readying her crossbow on her arm once again.

"Thanks! Let's do this, Wendy!"

With her being a few meters away from the monster and with Natsu being the center between them, it was a perfect formation in securing the former's safety from the monsters. At the same time, it gave her the freedom to use her magic and her bow to support him from behind.

This was their first serious team battle and both of the two were already working well enough in their chemistry as party members.

Natsu and Wendy never felt more pumped up as they faced their enemies with determination.

"Come, monsters!"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

A few minutes passed and the battle ended in the victory of the two as Natsu and Wendy rested on a safe area where they put all their things just beside a stone slab. The battle was fairly challenging but none of them suffered any injuries. The monsters were easily eliminated and the area was finally safe from monsters.

Wendy huffed wearily as she sat next to her baggage. Natsu, on the other hand, wasn't feeling any tired at all since it only lasted for about a few minutes but was satisfied with the overall fight. He didn't even feel the slightest effect of a mind down despite using a lot of magic.

"We got enough stones for today. I guess this will be our stop for now." She said, looking at the number of stones they collected from the last fight.

"Sure thing... But still, this was quite amazing. To think that the dungeon changes. I thought they were all the same no matter how you go down further." Natsu rested next to her, his eyes staring at the ceilings of the dungeon in wonder.

"Me too... I've never gotten this far below so I didn't really know about it."

"Yeah but it's more interesting to see it for yourself, right? I guess I kinda understand about adventurers keep venturing into this dungeon."

"Even if it was dangerous?"

"Well, it's part of the risk when you go adventuring. That I can't deny but that's the reason why we have companions to protect themselves side by side, don't you think?"

"I guess so." Wendy smiled.

A few more minutes went by as the two finally gotten their rest and decided to return back to the surface. Natsu and Wendy packed their things and was about to make their way to the passage leading above when they heard a scream.

"AAAAaaah!"

"That sounded like help... Let's go!"

"E-Eh but Natsu-san―" Wendy wanted to call out but her words were drowned in mid-air as the adventurer immediately went to the direction where the scream originated.

The girl knew better than letting themselves get separated especially in an equally challenged dungeon environment they're in right now so she too, made a sprint to follow the pinkette into danger.

...

They arrived at the scene and not before long they spotted a lone male figure standing in between monsters. They were numbered 10 to 1 against him which puts the latter at a huge disadvantage. Not mentioning the type of adventurer he is, it's hard to say if he's really troubled or not, considering that he stumbled unto a horde of monsters alone.

Natsu shook his head. There's no time to be thinking about such things.

"Wendy, I'll be going on ahead. Let's help him!"

"Right behind you, Natsu-san!"

The duo lightly nodded at each other as they begin to join the fray. Natsu sprinted to the fight as the male adventurer clashed with an Orc in a power struggle. Other monsters moved in to overwhelm him while being occupied in the process. Two bolts were shot from the distance, flying past the pinkette and hit two other Orcs in the eye, causing them to stagger.

 _Nice, Wendy!_

Natsu blazed his body as he charged at the stunned monsters with his right fist raised behind his shoulder. Flames left his body and swirled at the right arm as he slammed it towards them viciously.

 **"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"**

The monsters were taken by surprise by the explosion that came afterward. This gave them time to momentarily shift their attention away from the man. After a few seconds, they locked their sights on the pinkette who only gave them a toothy remark.

"Well, aren't you all a bit lively today? I'm all fired up!" Clasping his hands together, he stood in front of them fearlessly.

The monsters swarmed him in response, offering no second chances to someone who interrupted their hunt for their prey.

 **"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"** Another spell was thrown at the group as Natsu recklessly charged in, grabbing two heads of monsters from both hands respectively before setting them ablaze.

Wendy's chanting resounded from the distance, indicating a magic support.

Three monsters came from behind but the pinkette paid no heed as they were blown away by the ball of wind and simply took on the next one in his sights. He slammed another fist right unto another monster's head, sending it flying before vanishing. Clasping his right foot in flames, he leaped out to the orc trying to cut down the man. His feet smashed right into his head, causing it to fly to the side before vanishing.

The man finally freed from the struggle, turned his attention to the next monster behind the pinkette and stabbed it with his sword. The monster gave slight convulsion before death took over it and vanished as well, leaving its magic stone behind.

...

It didn't take long before they finally took care of the rest with sheer teamwork. Wendy eventually reunited with the pinkette as they wrapped up their battle. It seems like they came in just in time. Eliminating the monsters meant saving the man's life in the process. Who knows what would happen if they didn't intervene.

"That's the last of them..." Wendy muttered.

"Yeah, looks like it's clear over here. That person should be probably finished there as well." Natsu spoke, looking in the direction where they last saw the man.

The two returned back, seeing the aftermath of the battle that took place. The man seemed fine and he looked like he had seen better days. A few magic stones lay on the ground which was the only thing left on the defeated monsters. It seemed he handled his own pretty well.

"Heeeeeeeey! Are you alright?" Natsu waved, catching the man's attention as he put something from his hand – which probably his weapon – to his back.

Because the fog was thick to describe the man's features, the two took a few moments to see his appearance as he approached them.

He's a tall and lean person, wearing some sort of black kimono that hid a dark blue undershirt. He had spiky red hair and blue eyes. His facial features look around that of a young man similar to Natsu due to having somewhat similar traits such as spiky hair and scarves that were both wrapped around their necks.

The man expressed his thanks for the rescue.

"Yeah... somewhat. I almost got myself killed there. Thanks for saving me. I owe you one."

"What are you doing here? Isn't it dangerous to wander on this floor alone?" Natsu asked. The man simply scratched his head sheepishly.

"Well... I kinda wanted to advance a bit further to the dungeon. You know, for the experience. I didn't expect it to be this different from above though. You know the rest..."

Natsu and Wendy merely looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the man.

"It's a good thing we happen to around here. We were just about heading back to the surface and call it day when we heard you from here." Natsu smiled in relief.

"Yeah, I was saved. Thanks again, you two. Are you two by chance, party members?" He asked, noticing their relationship with each other.

"Well, yeah. We partied just a few days ago. I'm Natsu Dragneel, from the Hestia Familia." He introduced himself.

"W-Wendy Marvell, from the Robaul Familia." Wendy followed soon after.

The man smiled after having introduced their names to him. "Name's Welf. I'm from the Hephaestus Familia."

* * *

 **A/N: And there you go. Next chapter will feature the plot progression and we hope to see bigger action than this. Thank you all and I'll see you in the next chapter ^^**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here. Back again with another chapter.**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

* * *

 **\- God's Meddle -**

* * *

"I see... so you two just started your party, huh?" Welf spoke light-heartedly. He laughed as he walked beside his two new companions through the upper floors. Natsu and Wendy went along as they too were also on their way back. Accompanying him was a lot of safer after that whole dangerous encounter back on the 10th floor.

The two party members looked at each other briefly before looking back at the newcomer.

"Umm, Welf-san. If I may ask, what are you doing on the 10th floor alone?" Wendy began. Their pace went unhindered as they conversed with each other.

"Hmm? Well, I guess I wanted to try out looking for stronger monsters for bigger experiences. I mean, that's how it's all about adventurers. Perhaps I was little too ahead of myself." He replied with a sheepish look. A hand rested on the back of his head as he said that.

"So you're soloing." Natsu joined in.

"You got that right but you knew how it turned out. I underestimated those monsters. It would've been worse if you two weren't nearby. So yeah, thanks again."

"No problem." Natsu and Wendy smiled in content.

They reached the 4th floor in just a few minutes with the group dispatching all monsters that come on their way. It was an added bonus of experience since going down and up from the dungeon usually takes a lot of time for new ones to respawn.

Natsu and Wendy made no effort to collect the magic stones for their own since they already filled their stash all the way down to the 10th floor. Instead, they gave them to Welf who had no problems accepting it at first if it wasn't them doing all the hard work. The two easily made short work on the monsters before Welf could even lend a hand.

Needless to say, he was impressed with their coordination as a team.

Usually, a party of rookie Level 1s would have a hard time dealing with groups of monsters that are greater in numbers. The fear of being overwhelmed was always the first indication that came to mind when they're faced in such a situation. Members lose their ability to focus and would endanger the rest of the party if one was paralyzed on the spot. The dungeon, especially in the lower floors, housed many of this situations that even a well-coordinated party would break formation in the face of terror.

In light of these unexpected large increase of monsters, the Guild would often call such phenomenon, a Monster Party.

Welf stared oddly at the two as they quickly dismantled another group of monsters on their way as if they were nothing. While he wasn't hungry for experience, he'd wanted to at least help around along the way.

"I'm maybe late for asking this but are you sure you're Level 1s? Because to me, you looked like you're no rookie adventurer." He asked as the two glanced their heads around, seemingly confused at the sudden question he imposed.

"What makes you think that?" Natsu asked.

"Well, it's just that you were working pretty damn well for a rookie. And what's with that magic? It's too convenient than a traditional mage." His eyes fell upon the pinkette who had been using nothing but his fists to blast away monsters into crisps for the past few minutes. As far as he knew, mages swing staves not fists and most certainly don't go in the front line as they generally lack the experience to fight like that of a warrior or a fighter. However, their firepower in magic was the only thing that rivals in the strength and skills of a warrior.

Natsu seemed to be a fighter, judging from the lack of weapon he has in his gear. It made sense that his primary choice of attack would be close range and hand-to-hand combat but his ability to use magic at long range as well as cast it on his fists was something new.

There were similar cases on adventurers embedding magic to increase their fighting capabilities; the existence of magic weapons. For adventurers who need magic to boost their fighting power against stronger monsters, those weapons were essential in the overall survivability of the party. Additionally, equipment was also done in the same way to mitigate physical damage which is why most adventurers needed some gear to protect themselves.

Natsu, in particular, doesn't seem to have those. Aside from his light clothes, he doesn't have anything to protect himself.

Welf felt like he was meddling too much, judging from the pause of the pinkette's response to his question.

"Ah, a secret then."

Natsu offered a light apologetic expression. "Sorry about that. I was told to never share with anyone about my magic."

"It's alright. I kinda understand." Welf smiled candidly. "Everyone has a secret each on their own."

"That reminds me. You said you're a smith?" Natsu soon changed the subject which caught the red-haired man on a pause before speaking.

"Yeah. I make weapons and stuff although, like the other people out there who started out from day one, I'm just a rookie. A rookie blacksmith to be exact."

"So you sell these things for a living?"

"Well, one of the reasons. But the main reason is just to spread my own brand of weapons and armor to anyone and consider them as one of top quality."

Natsu hadn't known much about smiths or their nature in general. He was only given a general outline of their job which is working their way to the top by crafting and selling weapons and armors that would deem as one of the top and best quality for any adventurer to have. It's one of the many occupations that are also largely influenced around Orario. As with their craftsmanship from cutting-edge weapons and adamantine armors, it's obvious that their purpose is a big benefit to the city and its adventurers.

Just like adventurers, smiths also need experiences to unlock their skills in craftsmanship. The more they accumulated skills and experiences, the better the weapon or armor they can produce. Knowledge on the subject was also a necessity to the overall process of creation as well as the quality of ingredients.

Natsu understood this as he nodded his head in agreement. "I see. By having yours bought by many, it would cause a big deal of fuss for being one of the best."

"Bingo."

"Welf-san is amazing." Wendy followed with a look of great respect.

"Well, it's nothing grand about it. There are little customers that I occasionally acquainted with but most don't seem to like the craft and just return it back." Welf answered sheepishly, a faint look of dejection occupied his expression.

Wendy paused to speak but felt against it after hearing all that from him, fearing she would mean it the wrong way.

"Well, either they're idiots or just too stupid to appreciate a weapon made by you." Natsu puffed out, surprising both Wendy and Welf.

"You described it twice, Natsu-san. They're two of the same thing." Wendy giggled. Her face forming a cute chuckle at the fellow party member's remark.

"Huh? Is that so? I swore that they're two different meanings."

"No, they're not."

As they two go about their conversation, Welf could only observe them in close glances. The mood was lighting up as seen from Welf's face who eventually smiled in appreciation of the pinkette's comment.

"Thanks, Natsu." Said person tilted his head in confusion at the out-of-nowhere gratitude but quickly discarded the feeling as soon as Welf changed topics. "That reminds me, it seems you guys don't have a lot of gear in you."

Natsu and Wendy briefly looked at each other before going back to him. "Yeah, we haven't really thought about getting some."

"I see. Would you mind I work out something for you two? Just a gift for saving me back then. I'll craft any piece of weapon or armor of your choice free of charge. I'll only leave the gathering of materials to you, seeing you handle yourselves out here."

"Really? You'll do that?!" Wendy asked with expectant eyes.

"Yup. If you have the time to visit me at my forge, then perhaps we could talk more."

"Then tomorrow. We'll drop by to your forge in the morning." Natsu spoke.

"Great! It's just a few blocks on the West Main. Just three forges past it and you'll see mine."

With their conversation taking another set of minutes, they finally arrived at the dungeon entrance. It was already nighttime and the city lights flared all around. The group parted ways after exchanging their loot from the Guild building. They exchanged a few words before returning to their respective familias.

Natsu paced through the streets with little haste, dropping by at the Hostess of Fertility for his usual roundabout of dinner meals and talks with Syr. It was a normal cycle that he began to grow used to. Sometimes, Hestia would come around and eat dinner with him in the same place. The reason why he's going alone is that it was getting late. He already informed his Goddess beforehand so he probably assumed that she already ate somewhere and is now waiting for his return.

He finished his dinner and bade his farewells with the tenants of the pub and began walking again. He recalled the same place where he and that girl met face to face. While she didn't appear before him like last time, he didn't seem to mind it. After all, he knew her as would any other adventurer here in Orario did and it's not hard to recognize her.

Her doll-like appearance.

Her monstrous strength.

Her reputation.

"Kenki... huh."

The pinkette thought to himself.

The name that the gods gave her for her way of the sword. The name that equalizes the name given to her by the adventurers for her unbelievable strength, War Princess (Senki). A name that feared many adventurers because of her reputation as one of the strongest adventurers in this city to date.

A lot of people looked upon her alias as something admirable and fearful.

The young man saw it nothing as simple as an inspiration.

* * *

 **Somewhere at the peak of Babel Tower**

* * *

"He's progressing faster than we thought. At this rate, his potential will become clear."

A voice resonated on the dark shadows of the room, revealing a large silhouette of a man standing behind the dark curtains with his gaze observing the entirety of Orario.

"He is as it was expected of him. However, it isn't enough." The woman spoke with her glass of wine visible from the palm of her hand thanks to the faint reflections of the city lights below. She sat on a chair befitting reverence. Her presence and beauty decreed it to be so. A smile plastered on her lips with a hint of seduction.

Truly, her expression enticed with ecstasy, enamored at the sight of the ball floating in front of her that revealed the person. In her eyes, that person was something that caught her attention. So much that she couldn't help but take action for the sake of his growth but thankfully, her restraints ruled above her desire which was the reason why she hasn't claimed him.

At least, not yet.

Still, she wasn't disappointed.

She wanted to see him grow stronger. She wanted to see his soul shine brightly. Like a raging flame burning away all doubts and uncertainties. None of the people in this city possessed such a soul. That is why he piqued her interest.

With such a soul like that, she realized that he was too good to be under that goddess' care.

Her love for him grew once again.

"Still, it seems that even his challenges don't pose a threat to him as of now. I guess a more appropriate adversary must be decided in order to push his limits." She said.

"He is strong but in his current state, it'll take time before he could break his own shell." The man commented.

"Indeed, but you know me. I'm not one who favors with patience. Perhaps, you would know of something that would help me witness another spectacular sight." She turned to him, a hint of anticipation hung on her face as she waited for the man to speak.

"There's no need. He challenges the dungeon every day. I'm sure _it_ would give him something that would test his resolve rather than our intervention."

The woman paused in awe at the man's response.

"Hoh ~ Is that so? Never took you for a prophet, Ottar. What makes you think that?"

"Nothing. My opinions bear little compared to yours. I merely obey." Ottar shook his head.

"Well, it's fine. I'll leave it to your intuition."

* * *

 **...**

* * *

It was morning as usual. Natsu and Wendy had gone out their way to the West Main and into the forge sector where all smiths establish their very own place of work. Walking further, they received a series of similar houses but thanks to Welf's instructions, they didn't fail to recognize the place where he's currently at.

"Ah, there he is."

A shade of red caught their attention, spotting the blacksmith just outside his forge.

Upon calling him, the blacksmith glanced around, noticing them as they approached him. "Natsu! Wendy-chan! It's good to see you here. Come in, let's talk inside."

He urged them to the door which they nodded. The trio entered inside with Natsu and Wendy making themselves comfortable around the vacant seats while Welf went to get some food for the guests. It was their first time seeing the interior of a blacksmith's shop; a small forge along with a set of tools such as hammer and anvil are located amongst them.

"Sorry about the mess here. I just had some experimenting going on." Welf called out from the other room. After a few seconds, he came back with a small tray with some food and placed them on the table.

"I-It's fine, Welf-san. We just came a bit early than usual." Wendy answered timidly. Her hands flailing as a sign assurance to his welcoming.

"Is that so? Well, help yourselves. You must be tired from your dungeon exploring." He grinned widely as he sat right across while the two grabbed to eat. Natsu was the first one to dig in as he began munching down food after food to satisfy his hunger.

Welf smiled wryly at his unspoken eating habits. Not even aware that he might just eat the whole food without Wendy's share. Thankfully, he stopped as soon as his stomach met satisfaction and let the girl take the rest.

"So this is your place, huh? It's quite different when I visit others."

"How come?" Welf raised a brow in curiosity.

Natsu held a hand on his chin, pondering. "Well... it's simple. I mean, it's everything but simple, to be honest."

"Natsu-san!" Wendy lightly reprimanded.

Welf, on the other hand, laughed fully at the adventurer's response. "Ah, don't sweat it. Actually, I'd like it a bit more if you could talk to me normally and not some high-ranking holier-than-thou person."

Wendy relented as she took a sit quietly and let go of the subject. As soon as they finished eating, Welf started. "So, now that you've seen my work, is there something that can pique your interest? Better yet, if you want me to make something, I'll be happy to work with you."

"Hmm… That's a nice offer. Is there a catch?" Natsu asked.

"Not at all!" He assured. "As I said, I owe you two so the least I can do is make something that should cover the lack of equipment you have in you."

"Yeah about that… Actually, we haven't really thought it yet. We've been pretty good so far with our current gear and have been also running it down ever since."

"Well, in that case, we should start by looking at your fighting styles," Welf said, catching the two confused at his statement.

"Fighting styles?"

"Hnn…" He nodded. "From what I remember, you're a long range supporter, aren't you, Wendy-chan?" He said, looking at the petite supporter who repeatedly nodded.

"Y-Yes. I'm also able to do magic but we still have a lot of openings in the party so I can't use it freely and just rely on my crossbow."

"May I see your weapon?" He asked.

Wendy turned to her small backpack and took out her crossbow, presenting it to the blacksmith.

"I see. This is a pristine built. It's light enough to be carried easily by anyone while sturdy enough to shoot bolts."

"It's a gift from my familia. Robaul-sama said that it would be much useful in my hands so he entrusted it to me."

"I see. Well, you're a pretty sharp shooter yourself. At such a young age no less! Even now, I can see that you're already turning out a fine supporter yourself." Welf complimented. "…However, it seems that you have little experience when it comes to close-combat."

"Yes," Wendy said with a slightly dispirited voice.

"In viewpoint, both you and Natsu rely on each other to cover their weaknesses but I guess Natsu himself has adequate on both ends, judging from that fight yesterday." He took a glance at the pinkette who gave a smug look as soon as they made contact, catching the other two a cold sweat in response.

Turning his attention back at the girl, Welf continued.

"Well, I could make you some weapon that could help you in that pinch. I could also probably help to improve your crossbow so you could have better comfort in using it for long periods of time. I guess you should start there and if you develop your magic to help compensate that weakness, the better, alright?"

"Yes!" Wendy happily nodded, having to take advice on the older adventurer who smiled in response.

"Now then, onto you, Natsu."

"I don't need anything."

"Eh?" Welf blinked.

"I don't need anything yet."

"I understand that you have some useful magic but magic alone will only get you so far."

"Honestly, I don't have anything to think about it. I'm fine with just Wendy's benefit. I've taken hard hits and cuts from monsters but I'm actually fine in my current outfit. I just punch and kick some monsters and boom. Easy, right?"

"You… you're a muscle-brain, aren't you?" Welf deadpanned.

"I don't know what you mean but I'm all for beating and wrecking things up, if that's what you're saying."

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY YOU'RE ONE!"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

After a couple of hours, the group had to eventually return back to their homes. The visit had cost them a day of no earnings but they had fun hanging out with Welf who gave them some tips and things during their stay.

The two were at the door as they set their farewells with each other. The sun was already setting and it just made in time for Wendy's newly-improved bow to be finished as well as the new shortsword that was given to her by Welf.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Natsu said.

"Eh?" A rather surprised look dawned on the blacksmith's face as soon as he heard the pinkette speaking.

"What? You'll go to the dungeon too, right? Wanna form a party with us?"

"R-Really? I mean, is it okay? I'm just a stranger to you yesterday."

"Not anymore. Plus, it would be cool to have another party member." Natsu grinned widely.

"W-Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait. That's not how party relationships work, you know! How are so open about this?!"

"Huh? Is there something wrong with what I just said?" Natsu tilted his head in confusion. A question mark hanging above his head, trying to understand the blacksmith's reaction towards him.

"Of course it is! Just how are you so trusting to me?"

Natsu pondered for a moment, attempting to answer his question before turning his face towards him. "Well, it's nothing serious really. I just figured that you're a good person and want to invite you. Isn't that hard to understand?"

Welf, on the other hand, remained baffled at the exchange. Just how easy it is for him to invite him out in the blue just after a few meetings. This is the first time he'd seen an adventurer this open to party up with someone he barely knew in just two days.

Most adventurers have an air of distrust to any stranger who would want to party with them. Both Natsu and Wendy seemed different from those people. They carried a warm and open air around them.

The smith was unsure of what to think as he had always encountered a lot of people having such greed due to his secret although it was not related to how the current situation is unfolding right now. Seeing the pinkette reach out a hand to him willingly without hesitation shows that he trusts him enough to become a member in their party.

"Ah, anyways, you don't have to accept it right away. I know it's weird getting asked to join on someone's party right off the bat. I mean, I've been there too." Natsu said, casting off a teasing glance at the petite girl beside him who pouted in response.

"Natsu-saaaaaan!"

"I-I see... I'll think about it."

"Alright."

After that, they parted ways. Welf returned to his forge but not before taking a glimpse of the fleeting two figures who were happily talking to each other as they walk. A sense of wonder appeared on his mind as he watched them from the distance.

 _What a strange guy…_

* * *

 **The next day**

* * *

The mist on the 10th floor remained as if it was its natural habitat. Natsu and Wendy dashed forth to the horde of monsters as the two began their usual monster slaying.

"It seems there's more of them in the front. I'll support you from behind, Natsu-san!" Wendy called out as she readied her crossbow in the process.

"There's no need for that," Natsu said as he gave a fierce gaze towards the horde with such fiery as flames coated his body before growing larger that somehow melted the whole grass around him.

He flew to the horde as he spun his body around, directing the flames in the same manner that created a large vortex of fire that spew out in front of him and into the monsters. His words intoned another spell as soon as he came within close range.

" **Fire Dragon's Circling Sword Horn!"**

A huge explosion rocked the floor, shaking the ground just a few moments as flames ravaged through the monsters, enveloping them wholly before turning into dust. Wendy shielded her eyes as she tried to maintain her stand as the wind blew back everything. A look of shock was plastered on her face as she witnessed the destructive power of the spell released just now.

Moment later, the dust settled, revealing a patch of burnt and upturned ground from which the horde once stood. The pinkette emerged later in front of the scene. A fulfilled smile was seen on his face as he took a quick look of his work.

Wendy followed suit as soon as the fight ended.

"How's that, Wendy?! Isn't it awesome?! I was practicing this trick for the whole week and wanted to try it out on the monsters. What do you think? Is it powerful?" He turned to her for compliment.

"I-It was great but…" She paused, taking another careful look at the destruction around them as little embers emerged from the devastated ground. "Isn't this a bit overboard."

Natsu laughed proudly at her reply as if treating her response as something positive although it was clear as blue that the girl doesn't know anything else to say other than overdoing it too much. Even the magic stones were left in the dust due to the intensity of the flames.

"Nah it's alright. I'm sure those monsters can take a fireball or two."

"Not in your case, Natsu-san," Wendy remarked.

"Hehe…" Natsu sheepishly replied with an embarrassed look. "Ah, I forgot about the magic stones. Sorry about that, Wendy."

"It's okay. We had our haul for today. Should we go back?"

"There's still time but I guess we can call it a day here."

The two soon got up and turned towards the upper floors. They made their way to the fifth floor in just a few minutes as Natsu continued speaking with his fellow party member along the way.

"So how's the new weapon coming up?"

"It's working nicely. I'm still not used it fighting with a sword but I'm trying to learn as many as I can from the others." Wendy replied. Her eyes fell to the shortsword strapped on her side.

"I see. But with this, wouldn't that make you an adventurer already rather than a supporter?" He asked.

"I guess but I don't want to lose focus on my role as a supporter yet. I want to take as much experience in my magic so I could help other people in the future." Wendy lightly smiled as she answered that statement with a sincere look.

Natsu paused for a moment, catching the last part of her statement in thought. "Other people, huh?"

"Is something wrong?" Wendy turned to ask, noticing his spaced-out expression.

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just wondering if we'll ever get another party member with us. You know, the more we have, the deeper we can go, right? We can't just go down with just the two of us." Natsu explained. The lessons he learned from Eina provided him just enough sense of just how dangerous the dungeon is.

Even in his current power or his current status as a Level 1 adventurer, he didn't want to underestimate the dangers that lie ahead beneath the Upper Floors. If he had been careless enough, he wouldn't just be endangering his own life but to Wendy as well.

While his goal in becoming stronger hung around in his mind, he considered a lot of things to ensure the safety of his party. It's one thing that he always prioritized every time he heads down together with her.

"I see. Do you think that Welf-san might join our party as well?" His thoughts were cut short as soon as he heard the bluenette mention the blacksmith.

"It would take time but I'm sure that he'll come around," Natsu said with an optimistic voice.

But as they continued their conversation, a sudden burst of caution erupted within the pinkette's eyes as his head quickly spun around from behind, revealing an empty corridor with multiple pathways that lead to other sections of the floor.

His eyes stared alarmingly at the area as a wave of warning came into him in a flash. For a moment, he felt an atmosphere of animosity driven towards him for reasons unknown. He tried tracking with his heightened nose for any trace of scent but the floor's abundance of monsters made it hard for him to distinguish the faint ones.

"Is something wrong?" Wendy soon asked, noticing the pinkette's change of expression just now.

"It's nothing. Come, let's hurry back."

Natsu turned around and left the area along with Wendy. The former urging his partner to walk up their pace. They returned to the surface shortly after and decided to stick together until they're able to exchange all their magic stones at the Guild.

Wendy had parted ways from the pinkette a few minutes later, leaving him alone as night came about a couple of minutes later with the city lighting up its vibrant lights and shops. The joyful chatter of its inhabitants continued on as the activity never ceased even at its night shift.

Natsu kept his caution for some reason after what happened back at the dungeon. There was a clear hostility that was directed towards him at that time and he couldn't help but be cautious to his surroundings as he returned to the surface. He even made sure to put Wendy out of the situation by urging her to return to her familia as soon as they exchanged their magic stones earlier.

He walked through the streets with a silent presence, making glimpses to his back to make sure he wasn't being followed.

Because of the bustling crowd, it was hard for him to shake off the anxious feeling, knowing that if he passed it off tonight, it would come later in the following day. He didn't want to feel worried unless he figured out who or what was coming at him. If he decided to dodge this one, it would no doubt come to him sooner. He'll have to deal with this on his own.

Turning his direction from the busy streets, he made his way to an alleyway as the noises of the busy streets slowly died down. The lack of lights permeating in these corners makes it a perfect place for an unexpected ambush.

Natsu stopped as soon as he made his distance away from the crowd. It was at that time he noticed several footsteps tailing him all around since coming from the surface.

Turning his face to his unknown pursuers, he confronted them with a slight tone of intimidation.

"So… what the hell do you want from me?"

The unidentified group paused for a moment before each and one of them slowly approached the pinkette for a better view. A group of people who seemed to be adventurers just like him, judging from the equipment strapped under their bodies. Natsu counted about five people, each seemed to be equivalent of a Level 1 adventurer due to their sloppy movements during their stalking towards him.

"Good job getting yourself isolated. You seem the type who knows if something's up. I'm impressed." One decided to speak in a rather condescending manner as he sized up to the pinkette with his tall size. Judging from his muscular built, he looks to be the ringleader of the group.

"I don't know you but it seems you have some business with me." Natsu ignored the intimidation and simply went straight to the topic.

"You realized. Well, to be frank, this is the first time we met." The leader said.

"Indeed. Otherwise, you wouldn't be stalking me and my friend in the dungeon earlier. Is that all most people do nowadays? Stalk other people like some creepy old fella."

His taunt seemed to rile up some of the members of the group but the leader quickly lifted out an arm to stop them from ganging up from him.

"Looks like you're good with your tongue as you are with your fists."

"Thanks, I guess." Natsu passively replied.

"There's been rumors about you, kid."

"Rumors? Me?"

"That incident at that Monsterphilia. It looks like the stories don't seem that true to me. Coming from a fellow Level 1 adventurer like you, it almost seemed too real to believe that you took those monsters on your own." The leader said.

"So what does that have to do with you following me around?" Natsu asked but he's clearly aware of what this situation is going to turn out.

"Well… we just happen to give you an offer. A joint party to be exact.

"What?"

"You see, we're planning on going to the Middle Floors tomorrow and we need someone who has good experience as our vanguard. You know how a party works in handling different formations, right? There's some stronger monsters you can fight and greater loots to collect. We're giving you the liberty of becoming our vanguard so you can face them on our behalf. If what the rumors say about you then there's no other reason for us to reach out to you than to lend us your strength. So what do you say?"

"I refuse."

"Huh?"

"Sorry but I'm already in another party, you see. I'm currently fine with my partner so no thanks." Natsu bluntly replied.

"I don't see why you should refuse my offer. Clearly, a mere two member party is no better than five. A little child nonetheless." The leader reasoned but was cut short when Natsu interrupted him.

"Heh, will you just cut that attitude? It's making me more annoyed. I know exactly what you're planning ever since you stalked us back on the dungeon. Do you think I wouldn't notice? I know adventurers like you. You who take advantage of other parties and trick them to cooperating with you only to leave them on the spot when danger falls to them." Natsu glared, a clear shot of hostility was already dawning on his face, surprising the group for a moment before regaining their composure.

Their leader, on the other hand, let out a laugh before following a smirk.

"Hahahaha! I see now! We have ourselves a smartass here. It seems like he knows it all like just as he thought it would. I wonder if he has any more secrets to show us. Isn't that right boys?" He turned to his companions who simply mocked him with laughing remarks.

"But you know, don't think for a second that you're in control of this situation. We could easily corner you and break you if you don't play your cards right." He added. A threatening gaze was put up on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we start already? If we're just gonna stay around talking all night, I think I won't have any time to listen or Goddess might come looking for me worried." A sudden reply was given to the group as Natsu scratched his head, seemingly tired of the long conversation he was having with them.

"T-This bastard…" The group glowered at the boy's uncaring attitude.

"Just so you know, I'm not known for holding back even to humans," Natsu warned.

"Hah! Say that if you can even get yourself out in that spot, you cocky brat!" One of the adventurers suddenly lashed out with a knife.

Natsu's battle senses have already kicked in as he remained in position and anticipated the first assailant who had a weapon pointed at him. Waiting at the right moment, he quickly ducked underneath while dodging to the side as the adventurer struck for a mid-thrust. He took advantage of the huge opening and simply touched his abdomen where his hand suddenly burst in flames, emitting a short but powerful blast that sent the adventurer crashing to a stack of crates.

As this was going on, the other two charged at the same time, seeing their companion had been easily taken out. While unaware of their abilities, they're still Level 1s and Natsu had grown past the point of an average Level 1 adventurer and is still growing. This is the secret advantage that he has despite against them. The sole adventurer had sharper instincts and experience compared to them. Coupled that with his magic makes him already a difficult opponent to fight against.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

Natsu slid past the first attacker to the side, dodging his thrust and grabbed his other hand and threw him off balance. His figure was sent careening to the ground towards the other assailant, causing them to stumble to the ground, leading to only the leader and his last member standing his way.

It was at that moment when he noticed their leader hoisted something out of his pocket. A small glowing knife which was seemingly different from all usual types that don't have any glow in them. He quickly deduced it to be a magic weapon which suddenly caused him to narrow his eyes in the process.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, prick!" The leader shouted, not knowing the scale of the magic released in a cramped area.

"Hey, hey. Are you trying to burn the whole place down?"

"Shut up! Shut up and die, you conceited piece of shit! When I'm done with you, that party member of yours is next!"

A large burst of flames spew out from the small weapon as it soared high in the air, catching the attention of several people in the vicinity in the process.

However, a gulping sound was heard in the conflagration. The two found themselves staring dumbfoundedly at the sight before them. The flames themselves soon turned to a spiral formation, completely negating its effect and circled around the lone figure whom they thought was caught in the fire.

"Wha―What the hell is that?!"

After a few seconds, the flames vanished. All of it now swallowed by the pinkette who was lightly stuffing his stomach as if treating it like food.

"Thanks for the meal."

"What? WHAT KIND OF MAGIC IS THAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY DID THIS STUPID WEAPON HAVE TO FAIL?!" The adventurer cursed underneath his breath, stomping furiously at the turn of events.

"Hey."

Then, he heard his voice, prompting him to look up before a hand stomped him in his face as Natsu dashed past their distance shortly. The man's body flew backward as his head was slammed down to the ground, visibly cracking the pavement due to the force. The ground lightly shook upon impact and the leader was finally put out of commission.

A few seconds passed, the dust settled.

Natsu slowly lifted his hand away from the downed adventurer with his face finally washed with a sense of calmness.

The last adventurer took the small opening as he snuck behind the careless pinkette with a knife in hand.

The pinkette, realizing that he was too focused on the leader, tried to turn himself to confront the knife with his own hands when a small projectile zoomed from the distance and hit the adventurer by the neck, effectively knocking him out cold just before he could make the stab in his back. His body quickly went limp as soon as his consciousness faded and crashed just right near him along with the weapon.

"I made it in time." A voice emanated from the opposite direction, catching the pinkette's attention as soon as he turned towards it with a discerning gaze.

It didn't take long before the figure revealed itself to him, catching him off guard as he slowly began to remember. "Ah… Aren't you―"

"It looks like you got yourself into some kind of trouble, Dragneel-san."

"Ryuu!" He said, pointing at the elf waitress as soon as he recalled her name. "What are you doing here?"

"I was running on errands on buying supplies for the pub when I heard an explosion from here. I had to at least check out and unexpectedly found you here." She paused, looking at the other adventurers who were with him. "I assume these were your attackers?"

"Y-Yeah." He said, surprised at her keen perception of the situation.

A soft sigh escaped from her lips. "Well, I guess we better report it to the authorities. Can't leave everything as it is."

* * *

 **...**

* * *

After reporting the incident, the five adventurers were arrested and eventually, the Ganesha Familia took over the scene. The two were given some few questions about the incident but were released afterward, seeing they were the victims at the start. Although Natsu was requested by Ryuu to not reveal her intervention on the matter for some reason.

The two were walking back towards the pub until Natsu started asking.

"So… were you an adventurer, Ryuu?" His question slightly threw the elf woman off guard before responding with a question of her own.

"What makes you assume that I am one?"

"Well, the way you threw that stick to that man earlier. That was some precise aim. You even knew where to hit it to knock them out unconscious so I assumed."

"I'm surprised that you know about it." She said with a slightly astonished look. "And so in that assumption of me having that experience made you think that I'm an adventurer."

"Yeah, I guess." He paused. "Is there a reason why you don't want to share it back then?"

He asked, recalling back her request of not revealing to the investigation of her intervention to the fight.

Ryuu paused in her words, looking briefly away for a moment before turning her eyes back on him. "There's… a secret that I've been wanting to hide from everyone."

"Secret?"

"Hnn…" She nodded. "I'm not prepared to share it to anyone just yet. Even to you, Dragneel-san. No, rather it's better that you don't need to know about it if you want to see me the same way."

"I see…" Natsu muttered, a little bit disappointed at the reply he was given. He was hoping that he could help but he didn't want to push her on revealing it to him who is just an acquaintance.

"Well, if you don't want to, then it's fine. I'm not really pushing you to tell me. I mean, I'm just your regular customer after all." He said with a laugh.

"Is that so?" Ryuu pondered for a moment. Her expression slightly hung low after hearing his response.

"But."

"But what?" She replied, confusingly.

"If you ever have the need to talk to someone about it, don't hesitate to consult me, okay? You're Syr's friend, after all so that also makes you my friend." He grinned wide.

"Eh?" Was the only thing Ryuu could muster in response as the pinkette walked beside her with a warm smile. Even throughout the trip, she couldn't comprehend of what he just said to her awhile back, leading to her silence.

They arrived the Benevolent Mistress just a few minutes, only to find several figures waiting on them from the entrance.

"Hestia-sama?"

The petite goddess ran towards him as soon as she noticed his figure in the distance.

"Natsu~ I was so worried! I heard about what's happened. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Did they do some bad things to you?"

"I'm fine, Goddess." Natsu assured, softly patting her head in response which calmed her fears almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Ryuu was also greeted by her peers with the same level of worry.

"I heard of what's happened. I honestly didn't expect for you two to meet each other." Mia expressed her worries though in an intimidating manner which doesn't seem like sign of concern at all from outside perspective.

"Sorry for running late." Ryuu bowed in front of the two without much of a word.

"It's fine now. I have to actually thank you for saving Natsu-san back there. I wouldn't want to know if you weren't there to save him." Syr assured.

"I could've gotten him though…" Natsu huffed peevishly.

"You dimwit. Picking out fights better than you sure is a difficult habit. Always jumping into trouble wherever you are, huh?" Mia lightly tapped the boy's back with a hearty laugh though the tap was a little bit more of a smack than what it is.

"Err, this one is a bit different though." Natsu deadpanned.

"I know, lad. Don't go ruining my speech for you." Another light tap and the pinkette was sent to the ground twitching. The others could only make a cold sweat in their foreheads at the sight.

"Really… A lot of people in this city are just troublemakers. It's good that the incident was solved quickly but could you learn not to make it a scene next time. Otherwise, you're gonna catch a lot of other gods if you're not careful." Mia warned with a hand placed on her face. "Well, all's well that ends well. You must be hungry from all that questioning. Come, on let's head inside. We have warm food and drinks for you to enjoy."

The group eventually nodded and enjoyed their dinner throughout the night.

* * *

 **Somewhere on the 12th** **Dungeon Floor**

* * *

The misty dungeon continued to fill its habitat as defeated monsters are replaced with new ones with fresh magic stones that supply their bodies. Newly spawned monsters oftentimes appear on the walls of the dungeon or on the ground itself. They operated according to their positions and sometimes attack when their circle of territory is intruded.

However, in some cases, there are monsters that are formed unnaturally from the natural order. Mutated creatures that are spawned by chance and are vastly different from their normal counterparts are seen rarely by many. Because of that small percentage, adventurers tend to disregard the probability of encountering them on their adventures.

Since the dungeon has a lot of mysteries revolving its very nature, it is obvious that the risks involved in trudging deeper are also unknown. In every anomaly found by adventurers on their journeys are recorded by the Guild to make precautions. However, it is hard to ascertain how these anomalies pose a threat as well as the number of them occurring in the dungeon.

Eventually, the gods had taken to call it, Irregulars.

Spawned monsters that appear in a slim chance inside the dungeon, causing mayhem and destruction wherever they went. Many careless adventurers fell to their deaths due to the great danger these monsters had. Even high-level adventurers would have a hard time dealing against it and would require at least a group to defeat one.

Irregulars sometimes come from a new breed of species that evolved by eating other monsters, however, majority of them happen to appear on the deeper floors.

A dark atmosphere is slowly creeping through the 12th floor as a black creature slowly emerged from the walls as if like a portal. A large snout appeared, opening its mouth with sharp fangs followed by a low snarl. Surrounding monsters cleared away at its line of sight as if frightened by its appearance. Apart from these monsters, the creature was several meters bigger, making its size undoubtedly intimidating from the rest. Slowly after, its head pushed forward, revealing a large neck with blackened scales as well as huge body with four limbs supporting it.

The ground lightly shook at its march as it pushed forward, showing more of its large body to the dungeon. Dark wings folded around its back. And moments later, the irregular finally revealed its true splendor.

A pair of red orbs began to glow its eyes before releasing yet another menacing growl as soon as it made its appearance.

It tastes of hunger.

It tastes of human flesh.

And it just so happens to spot unsuspecting adventurers who were oblivious to its presence.

Truly a perfect place to start its first rampage to the seemingly peaceful dungeon floor.

It was at that moment, the terror of the 12th Floor began.

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it. We're now already moving on to the second arc of the story which probably involves with Natsu mainly. I probably forgot to mention it but Ais' history will be important to the story as well as it would be connected to Natsu's history. At least, that's the only thing I can hint right now for the future since it'll cover more chapters before we could move to that event.**

 **Anyways, I see you all in the next chapter. ^^**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards…**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here. Back again with another chapter.**

 **Have fun and Happy Reading ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.**

* * *

 **\- Prelude to Despair -**

* * *

It was the third week of the month ever since his recovery from the Monsterphilia incident. Natsu hoisted his backpack with his scarf wrapped around his neck as he readied himself to depart from his home. He had already updated his status with Hestia and saw improvement of his overall abilities. The changes of his magic and experience also improved, with him able to utilize his magic into different varieties which was a very unique form to any normal mage. Perhaps the magic that appeared in him enabled him to use it in any form he could think of. Hestia even commented that something like that was close as being an unfair advantage and wondered where he even got the said magic.

Not that he ever knew either way.

In addition, his constant use of it provided him to last longer in battle. Unlike from before, he could now hold onto his own using spells more frequently. He had been secretly training in improving it just outside the church to work on it. And in just a month, he had already experienced significant changes overall, making it seem like he leveled up just by doing those things alone.

Still, the sign of any leveling up doesn't seem to appear until now. It had been four months ever since he started being an adventurer by receiving falna from his Goddess and the boy had already shown enough great improvements on his status which are nearing at A or S status as a result.

"So you're going to the dungeon again?"

"Yep. Wendy and I will be trying to scout the 12th floor to test our party strength there. We won't take long there though." Natsu explained as he stood beside Hestia who had finished checking his status just a while ago.

"I see… Although I'm a bit adamant of saying this all the time but do be careful on your way, alright? Don't take any reckless actions just because you have good abilities. One flaw will result you in dangerous situations." She warned.

"Of course! I'll be extra careful! I promise not to careless. I mean, I still have Wendy to look out for." He reassured. A toothy grin was plastered on his face as he said that.

"Sure…" Hestia answered monotonously. A mention of his party member quickly dissolved her worries and turned into a mild form of suspicion. While the female had seemingly no intention in deepening her relationship with the pinkette, the goddess couldn't be less careful at anything especially when it comes to the opposite sex.

Nevertheless, she bid him a good farewell to his journey as she watched him disappear into the distance with his pack around his back. Hestia stood at the entrance of the church for a moment, staring at the distance where he had run off to. A certain thought quickly returned to her mind as soon as she set aside her thoughts of her child for a moment.

 _That's right. Today is the day where Robaul and Miach will be visiting._

A piece of reminder caught her mind as she pondered about the meeting with the other two gods. Both she and the two are managing a small familia, unlike the other bigger ones. They have only a few adventurers as their familias were formed rather recently, starting just a few months back compared to the other deities who formed theirs for years with the exception of Miach due to some circumstances involved.

Since her child is partnering with Robaul's, she wouldn't want to waste the opportunity to bond with the fellow god along with Miach since both of them are good friends with her even way back when they were still at Heaven. Their similarities in having a small familia were enough to relate to each other. They were humble to go on their way as to work despite being deities to help their children in every way they can.

This could be the perfect chance to meet him and establish a good relationship between the two of them and their familias.

She turned her attention toward the other direction and also started to work for her job.

It's going to be another day for her at the stall to sell some delicious Jagamarukun. It just so happened to be her favorite food as well. What more she could expect to enjoy in the Lower World aside from Natsu and food?

Nevertheless, Hestia was having a blast of her life as a hardworking goddess.

* * *

 **Twilight Manor, Loki Familia Home**

* * *

The Loki Familia currently has its activities on hold. With their recent expedition going up in flames due to the appearance of some new species on the 50th Floor, the group was forced to give up their progress and retreat back to the surface. The confirmed existence of the caterpillar monsters that spit out acid is something new to the board of monster list recorded in the Guild. Reports of their expedition were given out and the group was put on hold as soon as they finished returning their quests and collected their rewards.

Ais sat on the living room of the Familia home in deep thought. The recent events occurring ever since returning to Orario weighed heavily on her mind.

The adventurer with pink hair wearing a scaly scarf. His fight against the minotaur. Their brief encounter a few nights back. Those were the memories that kept bugging her ever since. Normally, she would've shrugged it off and went straight to the dungeon to kill time but for some reason, she finds herself secluded home without anything else to do except thinking about the perky adventurer.

There was nothing important to see about him. At least for most of the members of her familia. Ais knew that moment when their eyes first met on that incident, she felt some sort of connection but that's not the only thing that she caught on the boy.

What caught her attention was his spirit. A burning flame that keeps burning and pushing one to grow stronger despite the dangers. Ais felt like that she had seen herself with that boy. Ever since she started as an adventurer, she wanted nothing but to become stronger. The desire of hers was just as bright as that adventurer did when he faced that minotaur alone. Like a raging fire that keeps getting her into danger without any sense of care for her own safety. It was pretty much the same thing every time she goes out in battle which is also why she keeps getting scolded by Finn and the others for being too reckless.

Nothing but for the sake of getting stronger than anyone else.

It was sort of a twisted goal. She had experienced how it changed her completely through the years being an adventurer. And while it paid off with her being able to become one of the top adventurers in Orario, it was never enough for her. The flame inside her continued to burn along with her desire, eating away at anything just to fulfill that one goal.

And just like her, the boy had an extreme burning desire to grow stronger.

However, there was a difference.

For Ais, she had been at nothing but killing monsters for the sake of strength. What she saw in that boy's spirit was not out of power but of protection. What made them different from each other was their driving passion in pursuing strength. That boy's flame had a burning passion similar to hers but its color was not twisted.

If she were to compare both, hers was a black flame that searches for strength nonstop. It would keep spreading and look for more to keep itself lit until there was no more. The boy, on the other hand, was a crimson flame, shining brighter than any other without the need to look for anything to sustain itself. Instead, it will burn in its place, shining brightly whenever needed. It does not need to shine brightly all the time.

She thought it like that and because of that, she finds curiosity to the boy. That short encounter with him that night is what caused her to reach out a hand to him. She wanted to meet him and talk to him. Although, it was weird for someone who's a stranger to you wanting to be acquainted for some reason. She is in no way oblivious to social interactions after all despite her doll-like appearance.

In the end, it resulted with them being interrupted halfway, partly returning to their own previous ventures without saying much of a word.

Her troubles continued, failing to notice the other people inside the room as well.

Leaving to her own matters, other members of the group stood at the far corner of the room, observing the rather silent Kenki in question. This is the first time they've seen the girl so dull in a sense. They expected her to head out to the dungeon after the expedition but it seems like something happened that resulted her in this current state.

"Ais is being weird…" Tiona pouted. Her face sprawled at a table far from the living room, observing the girl from the distance with a slightly worried look as she sat on a sofa with her knees folded that was supported by her arms in front.

Along with her, Tione and Lefiya were also amongst the group who also had mixed expressions about the current atmosphere. Even they could not afford to know what was bothering Ais at the moment.

"Riiiiggghhhtttt? She had been looking like that since a few days ago. I wonder what's bothering her?" Tione said so with a complicated expression.

"Ais-san…" Lefiya could only mutter in extreme worry.

"Do you have any idea why she's been acting like that?" Tione turned to her twin with a questioning look.

"Who knows? There isn't anything worth noting of what's happened since our return. Maybe some kind of problem that we're not aware of?"

"I guess. Maybe we should start asking her right now. It can't stay like this forever now, right?" She said as she thought an idea. A smile plastering her face as she stared at the other two in confidence.

"B-But is it alright? W-W-We really shouldn't bother her until w-we find out what's really troubling her." Lefiya stuttered with a hint of protest but the amazon's idea seemed to spark her other twin as well as she cut off the shy elf with a bombastic smile.

"Good plan!"

The duo decided and it was at that moment they also included Lefiya as well to the fray and approached the blonde adventurer.

"Hey, Ais!"

"Tiona."

"Let's go to the dungeon! Us together with Tione and Lefiya."

Ais paused for a moment as she looked at her fellow members with a slightly uncertain look. She wanted to tag along since time's being wasted for holing up in here without doing anything. Her black flame still igniting to push her to kill more monsters to increase her abilities. Again, she would've come along without a second heartbeat but her pondering thoughts continue to occupy her of the boy that made her shook her head in response to her offer.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I'm in a mood to go to the dungeon."

Her response took them by surprise since they never heard of her refusing to tag along for any dungeon exploring… like ever.

But then again, Tiona immediately regain herself and simply offered her something nonetheless.

"Well then, how about we go shopping?"

This time, it was Ais' turn to lift her head. "Shopping?"

"Yep! There's something in your mind, right? Then let's go do something other than dungeon exploring. You never did any shopping before, right?"

Ais nodded.

"Then isn't it the perfect time to go? Let's do something fun! Tione and Lefiya will be coming too. We can buy some clothes for you if you ever need one. You're not suited for that kind of look, you know."

"My look?" She said as if confused.

"Mhm…" Tiona nodded. "Ais is always bright and cheerful! She is always clumsy and sometimes a bit of an airhead at most times." She described, earning a cutely-made pout from the Sword Princess herself. "...So seeing you like that is kinda worrying. Even Lefiya is worried too."

Ais looked at her friends in wonder. She was acting like this that even made them worry for her. Indeed that she was conflicted at something but she didn't want them worrying for her. It wasn't that she was troubling herself to think about that time with that boy but she certainly didn't want to have them worried about her all the time.

Seeing them like that, she could only offer a meek response.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't mind it. It's good that you're acting like yourself again so we're just gonna offer a condition." Tiona grinned.

"Condition?"

"Shop with us. For leaving us out here in the dark."

"E-EEEEEEEEHHHHH T-TIONA-SAN?!" Lefiya gaped in shock.

Ais tilted her head in fashion at her adventurer's response. "Okay, but is that it?"

She was expecting a more heavy condition from them but it seems it wasn't the case. Nevertheless, her conversation with her friends lessened her focus about the pink-haired adventurer.

Smiling warmly towards them, she prepped off her sofa and readied herself to head out to town for a change of pace.

"Alright, let's go."

The girls all smiled happily in response, including Lefiya who was glad that she was back to her usual self again. They went out of the room and later outside as they make their way to the Main street.

Just from a window from another room of the Twilight Manor, Finn was staring at the fleeting group with a smile of his own before turning his gaze away from it and into the table in front of him.

"Have they gone out?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess my worries were unfounded," Riveria concluded with a satisfied look on her face.

"Don't say that. In fact, the problem doesn't seem to be that serious compared when she was still a child back then but still…" Gareth paused. "...To think that Ais would have something else to think other than the dungeon. This sure has quite an impact on her, don't you think? A man perhaps?"

Riveria chuckled lightly to herself. "Fufu, I would be glad if that's the case but it isn't as simple as that. What do you think, Finn?"

Their eyes turned back to the Pallum with amused faces.

"Well, I won't be able to answer to that but anyways, we should head to our own matters now."

"Guess we'll leave it at that, eh?" Gareth commented with a light chuckle.

The three smiled before eventually returning their report of today's operations, leaving the girls to their own matters.

* * *

 **Back to the dungeon**

* * *

Sounds of cracking walls came from the left section of the tunnel as Natsu and Wendy waded their journey to the 9th floor with hasty succession. A trail of magic stones was seen from their wake but the duo had no need of them since the abundance of bigger ones existed on the 12th floor. Why stuff smaller stones when you can frequent bigger ones on the lower floors? It's obvious that they would choose a much more abundant hunting ground to earn valis.

"Are you tired, Wendy?" Natsu turned to his supporter in slight concern. They've been running for quite a while starting from the 1st floor since they need to reach down to the 12th floor as early as possible.

"I'm fine, Natsu-san. Let's go a bit further." The petite adventurer insisted with a strong face much to the pinkette's surprise but kept it to himself as he turned his eyes back to the front, avoiding the monsters and conserving their strengths as much as possible.

It had been just a couple of weeks since they partied but the two had already known each other and grew the trust they have to each other. Her showing signs of confidence meant that she was starting to mature and had only shown moments of timidness less.

It only took him just now to realize just how much time they spent with each other in the dungeon and they had already grown significantly enough that made them different from their past selves.

"Yosh, we'll take a short break on the 10th floor. After that, we'll prepare for the 12th. Is that okay?"

"Yes, Natsu-san!" Wendy steeled her response, earning a chuckle from him.

"Haha, you're getting the hang of it."

"Well, I guess I got used to it." Wendy monotonously answered. A dull look on her eyes suggests that the occurrence was an everyday chore of her adventures with the boy.

"Well, don't look so down now. We're just getting started, you know." Natsu said, spotting a group of monsters blocking their path to the lower floors.

"I'm right behind you, Natsu-san!" Wendy hoisted her crossbow at hand.

"I'm all fired up!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in the Guild Main Building**

* * *

The current affairs of the Guild continued on as usual with papers rolling in to be filled by the member staff, providing their service to the adventurers in terms of the information regarding the dangers of the dungeon.

Eina heaved a weary sigh as she passed another set of papers, finishing them and earned her a short break from the constant writing and handling of adventurers that were administered under her provision. She was having quite a stressful moment and the break gave her some time to regain herself from her feet.

However, that was just half why her stress continued to pile up. More reports of dangers from the floors and the affected party of adventurers got her quite in the edge. She's never really fond of dealing with danger-related issues that involved adventurers and monsters. In fact, one of the job criteria for becoming a Guild member staff is to have a strong heart so in the face of tragedy, they wouldn't have to break down that would affect their performance in keeping the organization running in the process. However, there were some cases before that members tend to break down and eventually quit when an incident was brought up to the Guild with someone dying inside the dungeon due to monsters.

Sure, they knew the risk in going down the dungeon floors but danger was always the constant reminder in the heads of many adventurers that brave the dungeon floors while seeking glory and fame. Glory meant nothing to a dead person so the norm was changed and encouraged newer adventurers to come back in one piece no matter what.

Unfortunately, not all miracles are granted to unfortunate adventurers which inevitably caused them their deaths.

That's why Guild member staffs tend to not get too close to their client adventurers due to the attachment they have if it were so. They couldn't handle the pain of losing the people they were once close with.

Eina herself was not exempted from this.

She had experienced it firsthand and she learned it the hard way. She was never the type who had a steel heart so she was devastated when a particular incident came to her that led her close to breaking. Eventually, she continued her job despite it and even tried to prepare herself when one of her adventurers perished under her care.

Thinking about adventurers, her eyes opened slowly and stared at the ceiling after remembering something.

"Natsu, huh?"

That brash adventurer who came busting in front of the Guild doors and declared to everyone inside that he will be the strongest was the strong memory she had in him when they met the first time.

She remembered that time when even her guild members would often chat amongst themselves that he would die soon in the dungeon if he kept that kind of mentality. In truth, she was also concerned and thinking the same way but thinking back then, it seems like it wasn't as it seemed to have turned out for him.

Forcing herself to take responsibility for the boy, she had taken it upon herself to help the newbie adventurer to at least prevent himself from jumping to his demise too early.

At least, that's what she thought.

Over the times he had to come and report back to her from the dungeon, she would find him in bruises and wounds that would literally put someone unconscious if they kept moving around like that. Of course, there are times where she had seen him go unconscious due to his injuries but she knew that he had the lack of fear in his eyes and was always ready to challenge the unknown without the need of his safety.

That's what worried her about him even until now although he had come to acknowledge some of her warnings and became careful on his journeys especially after teaming up with a supporter from another familia.

Wendy, was it?

Eina hadn't heard of the girl but she seemed to be part of another guild member that supervises her progress. She heard that she was part of the Robaul Familia. A rather small familia that started just a year ago with only a few adventurers.

She didn't know what to think about the matter other than being glad that there's someone that looks after him since he was initially working solo until now.

She encountered the duo just recently and asked to be permitted to go to the 12th floor much to her dismay though coming from them, she reluctantly agreed to let them and left without saying a word. She couldn't possibly deny that the two are capable enough to head to the said floor without much of a problem.

Truly, it was such a pain to look after a troublesome adventurer.

With her hand placed above her head, she felt a cold touch from her fingers, urging her to look back and saw Misha with a glass of water placed right beside her table.

"Good work, Eina-chan." She said.

"Thanks." Eina offered no hesitation and accepted the glass wholeheartedly that somehow reduced her stress for the meantime.

"It's getting quite a bit busy in here. A lot of new adventurers and requests were put out and we still have no increased pay." She commented.

"If money is all you could think about in taking this job, I think you're better off finding more comfortable ones than this," Eina advised.

"It's a joke! I'm just joking here, see? Anyways, it seems like you had a lot in your mind so I came by just in case." She said.

"You're right. Though I'm happy with all the things going, I just can't feel right about it. You know what I'm talking about."

"Woman's intuition. As sharp as ever, Eina. Well, I don't exactly feel that way since it doesn't happen to me all the time."

"Lucky you~" Eina muttered as she slumped her shoulders down the table tiredly.

"Well, if you want me to answer, I think it's because of what happened to that pink-haired boy adventurer that you're currently handling with."

At the mention of the pinkette, Eina couldn't help but shoot a suspicious stare at her colleague. In every moment she tries to tease her, she would always bring up Natsu in any way possible which ironically made her fall for it countless times and embarrassed herself in the process.

To be frank, she couldn't deny that she was somehow closely attached to him during the times they talked a lot despite just being an advisor to him. He was the only adventurer that would go out his way to talk to her even at times when she's not working as a Guild member.

That cemented the fact that she constantly checks up on him whenever he returns to the dungeon every day without even realizing she was trying to help him on her own accord.

"Why is that?"

"Well, he was the one who got involved in that Monsterphilia incident, right? If I remember it right, he was badly wounded enough that even we had to request help from nearby familias to help out with the recovery. I think it's because of that you began thinking that way, don't you think?" Misha smiled.

"That's a bit far off to be the answer, Misha. Natsu and I have nothing in common. We're just advisor and adventurer. Nothing more." She said as straight as she could.

"That's what you think."

"It's our job not to involve too much on the adventurers. You know this much as well as I do, you know." She reminded.

"And yet here you are, worrying over that boy ever so often without even realizing it."

"I-I'm just helping him out to become accustomed to the life of an adventurer. Natsu can be a bit of a dunce sometimes that he doesn't realize the danger he was having around him." She protested in defense.

"Heeeeeeeeeh~" Misha teased. "Well, you're free to think it like that but." She paused before putting a sincere look at her friend as she speaks.

"You don't have to lock your feelings just for that simple reason. There's no reason for us to push away the people that wanted to associate with us. We're people too, you know. We shouldn't forget that fact even when we're wearing these clothes." She said as she looked at the line of adventurers from the counter.

"Having someone other than yourself is a great feeling. You should learn to cherish it, Eina-chan."

Eina was wordlessly surprised at the talk but eventually smiled afterward upon understanding the advice she was giving to her. Out of all the other guild members, she was the most lighthearted of them all.

"I see… Thank you, Misha."

"Good! It seems like you're good as new. Let's go back. We might've wasted too much time on our break here."

"You're right."

The two got up from the seats and eventually returned to their duties as they spotted a group adventurers coming towards them.

It's going to be another busy day.

* * *

…

* * *

Ais felt like she regretted coming with Tione in this shopping trip as she found themselves into one of the shops that featured clothes that were… a bit new to her. The sight of skimpy outfits and all-too-revealing apparel were a sight that put a huge blush on her cheeks along with Lefiya who also happens to be _innocent_ just like her.

She knew the amazon twin was head-over-heels for the captain but she never thought that she would resort to buying things like this just for that one thing. Of course, every single move she had with the captain ended with a swift and sincere rejection though it didn't seem to faze her one bit and would try again and again to gain his affection.

The Kenki stood side by side with the other two amazoness who had a different expression apart from her.

"So, so, what do you think of this place? Does this strike your fancy?" Tione nudged the rigid adventurer with a wink from her eye.

"U-Uhm… Not really but—" She wasn't given the chance to reply was pulled by Tiona towards another shop that forced her off from her position and got dragged across the other side.

"You should also try this! This shop is also good with those too! Wanna try?"

Ais looked at the sign of the shop's name with wonder and embarrassment. Terra Firme, one of the popular shops that she heard from the two amazoness that sell exotic clothes, however, she never thought of the meaning exotic would be these types of things.

The group entered inside, greeted by a huge number of section of different clothes that each featured different designs one would choose from a single type of cloth.

Tiona and Tione led Ais to a few of them that also happens to be their favorite sections of clothes and introduced their choice to her in the process.

Tiona chose her own clothes' style which was the spitting image of her current outfit.

"How's this, Ais? I'm sure it'll be fun if we were to be dressed the same, right"

"..." Ais wordlessly stared at the clothes in careful fashion, specifically to the sash that bands over the chest region.

A thought came to her mind about the problems that would come if she were to wear that kind of clothing which also included the lower section of her body that happens to be exposed as it is just like the upper clothing. At the same time, her thoughts were answered with a form of tease that came from Tione who approached them with mocking expression, specifically to her twin.

"That's no good, Tiona. Ais would feel tight if she would wear that flat of a cloth that gets in the way of her breast, you know." She said with a teasing tone along with her gaze that repeatedly stares right into her twin's chest as if implying something that she had forgotten to consider when choosing the clothes for the Sword Princess.

"YOU JUST HAD TO SAY IT, DID YOU?!"

"Ara, ara~ I didn't say anything about yours. I was just being considerate to Ais' wellbeing, you know."

"LIKE HELL YOU WERE! I COULD SEE YOUR EYES LOOKING AT MY CHEST JUST NOW!"

"Ufufu… I don't see any worth looking at it anyway."

"I'm gonna beat you up so hard." Tiona dissed.

"Huh. You saying something, washboard?"

"Of course, I do. Cow-sized pig!"

Ais stared at the seething duo with a cold sweat. Apparently, they briefly forgot what they came for and immediately got themselves into a heated argument with each other. She didn't know how to handle the situation as the growing aura between the two began to overshadow the atmosphere around the shop that scared some of the customers that were inside along with them. Should the two of them find themselves in a catfight, the store might just have to see its last moment standing in place as the fight would escalate to a beatdown between these battle-hardened girls.

All for some ridiculous thing.

"Muo… You two are always like that! You're making trouble to Ais-san!" It was then they heard a shout from Lefiya who stood from behind and stopped the two, much to the store owners and the customer's relief as soon as the atmosphere died down.

The elf girl stepped up with a reprimanding look as the walked towards the two before speaking. "And also, bringing her here to try some indecent clothing is too much!"

"Well, I just wanted to see if Ais would want to try out something like this for a change." Tiona scratched her head sheepishly. Her tongue stuck out as to tease the fuming elf mage in the process.

"A-Anyways, she can't try out this kind of thing! A-A-Ais is too innocent for it. I-I-It won't do me good if she were to wear this sort of clothing!"

"Which means you were also hoping for her to try it too."

"N-No! I-I mean yes. N-No, that's not it! That's not the point here!"

"Really, Lefiya really admires Ais. Don't you think too?"

"It's obvious by a long shot."

"I DID NOT!" Lefiya adamantly denied their claims but it seems like it didn't convince them one bit, leading to her embarrassment.

"A-Anyways, this is not the kind of place we should be going. Ais should be elegant, proper, and graceful. And I know just the place that would suit her best to her outfits."

Pulling Ais away from the store, the elf began dragging the still confused blonde adventurer while leaving the other two who could only smile at each other and followed suit.

They arrived just a few moments later as the group was led to another store which was in stark contrast to the one that Tione and Tiona had visited earlier. It was an elf store which meant that most of the styles in their outfits derived from elven culture from frilled-dress for women to grace-woven suits for men.

"Woah!" The three girls awed at the sight of the store with shocked faces.

"This is a store for elves. Elfen Clothing Shop. They have a unique and elegant design. From high-quality smooth silk to soft linen that does not lose its gleam. All high-quality materials are used here to make first-class products!"

Lefiya then proceeded to try them out her recommended clothes to the three. Ais partook the tryout for the first time since this kind of outfit was somehow tolerable than the last one. She tried several outfits that were introduced to her by the wood elf.

Tiona and Tione tried some of the clothes as well which then gave the elf their opinions of the outfits.

"Hmmmm… Feels quite hot while wearing it though." Tiona commented.

"These clothes are a bit tight for my chest. Makes movement difficult too. Are there any bigger sizes for this?" Tione answered, wearing a buttoned shirt which was close to breaking.

"Stop asking the impossible!" Lefiya sweatdropped.

After a few seconds, the elf sighed before turning her attention back to the sword princess. "How about you, Ais-sa—n"

Her words cut short, noticing a lack of the girl around them. She was with them just a while ago.

"A-Ais-san?!"

…

Outside the store just a few steps away from it, Ais walked a steady pace as she tried to familiarize herself to the unfamiliar street. Since she never visited this place, she found herself in a pinch. The only thing she familiarized was the main route of her familia's house and the dungeon. She never had any trips elsewhere except just a few times on some places where Loki would take her to.

Even so, she would forget them all and would just come back home or go towards the dungeon to continue her killing spree against the monsters to get stronger although right now, she hasn't got the motivation to do so at the moment.

Normally, when the expedition ends, she would just head off with nothing to think about. Every second is precious to her for the sake of getting stronger. She could only wonder to herself why she's still here on the surface.

She could be somewhere around the deeper floors of the dungeon, making her round trip of kills to gain experience.

At that moment, the image of the boy occupied her mind once again. Every time, she would think about going out to the dungeon, she would remember the adventurer.

Why is it?

She knew the difference between her and that boy but why is her mind so adamantly focused on the boy. They never met once in their life and she was sure that she doesn't know him from anywhere from her childhood too yet she grew curious of him every time she thought him.

She tried to shake off her thoughts when she noticed Tione in front of her who seemed to appear out of nowhere since she expected her to be at the store along with Tiona and Lefiya.

"Running off to somewhere, Ais? Still had that cloud on your mind?" She said so knowingly of the girl's current predicament.

"Tione…"

"Ais, you did not think of what kind of clothes you wished to try, right? Even after all that, you can't seem to enjoy much like the two earlier." She commented with a casual tone.

"I don't know… I always wanted nothing but getting stronger. I don't think I'm not clear of myself right now." She said with a sullen look.

"Is that so? Well, let me show something. Care to come with me for a while? It's not that far off."

Ais silently nodded as she followed the amazon wordlessly. It took only a few minutes of walking when they arrived at a small plaza where they could see some of the people converging from other streets. At the center of the street was a fountain with a statue standing above it. Ais recognized the statue to be something of a god depicted from Finn's room. Although she visited rarely, she recalled the same statue imbued to the painting placed on one of the walls of his room.

"This is Goddess Fiona. You heard of it from Finn's race and history, right?"

"Yes."

"And you know the history behind it too, right?"

"A bit."

Tione nodded before continuing. "Back then, before the gods descended, a few knights constructed this depiction and revered it as a goddess. It also became the Pallums (hobbits) god for worship. Their religion to be exact which also embodied their faiths and beliefs. When the true gods came, this faith vanished without a trace…"

"The Pallum lost their pillar of worship that supported them throughout the years. As a result, they were on the path to decline. It is basically rare for you to heroic tales of the Pallum. Even they do become adventurers on their own, most of them are supporters or rear-guards. The entire race had given up. Their strength, their confidence, their faith, their courage. You could say that they were doomed ever since, however…" She paused, looking at the statue that was erected from another platform atop of the other statue.

"The Captain came to Orario in order to revive his own race. For all the Pallum that are living in this world, men, women and children alike, he stepped in front to let them feel the existence of pride. He became the beacon of hope for them that even with the decline of their false deity, he stood believing that their race could continue on and persevere in the face of despair. That strength and the burden he had to carry was something admirable for someone like him who just wanted to help his own race." She closed her eyes in content.

Ais stared at her for a moment as soon as her eyes opened once again and spoke to her. "Ais, my encounter with the Captain have given me another goal aside from becoming stronger after I joined the Loki Familia. I'm sure Tiona and Lefiya might not realize it yet but you…"

"Your feelings aside from getting stronger. You found that different feeling too, right?"

At that statement, Ais stood there unmoving, struck at the words from the amazon.

Thinking at that time with her encounter with him that night, what did she feel during that time? What did she feel that made her set aside her feelings of acquiring strength?

She clutched her own chest, finding the right answer. Her lips quivered at the uncertainty that might go awry if she failed to understand that feeling. However, her mind stopped when she felt a soft touch to her face as she saw Tione placing a hand on her cheek with a sincere look.

"Don't make such a face. Just follow your own feelings, Ais. There's no need for any thinking, you know."

"My feelings…"

"That's right! There's no need for you to restrain yourself to just one goal. Remember that."

Ais could only do nothing but stare in wonder of her comrade's words.

That's right.

She was too engrossed on her single-mindedness. To her own personal goal that she didn't notice it right away. Such a simple thing that was easy to understand unlike her who came to realize it just now.

The boy.

She wanted to know. She wanted to find out what makes him different. Why he's putting such lengths to become stronger. Because there was no one she could relate to her situation, she finds it hard to talk to even to her closest friends that have been with her for so long.

That pink-haired adventurer shared the same with her. They both had a desire to become stronger and they both aimed at that goal from the start apart from fame and riches. They both had something in their desire to become stronger and she wanted to know why.

She wanted to get to know him.

Ais stood for a moment. A sea of silence enveloping her after that brief realization.

And in just a few seconds later, a smile found its way back to her as she expressed her gratitude towards the amazon with utmost appreciation.

"Thank you, Tione."

"Found what you're looking for?" She inquired.

"Yes." She said so with a clear mind.

She wanted to meet him again.

"Well, I guess that's good. Kept you a while but it seems like you're back to normal."

"I see. I'm sorry I made you worried, Tione."

"Oh, don't sweat it. If Ais is troubled then it would be hard for the whole team to carry out their duties to best of their abilities. You're like the very mood of the group so it's my job to cheer you up." She said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She replied.

"Nothing, nothing…" Tione sweated nervously, turning her gaze away from her for a moment.

At the same time, a familiar shout came from behind as they spotted Tiona and Lefiya coming into view.

"Ais! Tione! Where have you gone to? We were looking for you! One moment you were there and then in the next, you were gone!"

"T-That's right. I was worried too."

The two expressed their feelings as Ais stepped in front of them before making a light bow towards them.

"I'm sorry. For taking off so suddenly. And also… for making you two worry."

The two went silent for a moment before registering what just happened before erupting to a mix of different responses as Lefiya stuttered to herself while Tiona had the biggest grin on her face since ever.

"Wawawawa… There's nothing for you to apologize, Ais-san! I-In fact, I should be apologizing!" Lefiya flailed her arms in embarrassment.

"Waaaaaaaaah~ Ais is so cute." Tiona, on the other hand, hugged the blonde adventurer without warning, much to the elf's shock.

The group hung around for a while as they continued on their shopping. In the end, they were able to buy the clothes they wanted and finished just about everything.

They began to walk back to the direction leading to their home as they carried their stuff they bought for the day. It was still in the noon and the amount of people walking in the streets hasn't decreased one bit. Most of them, however, were heading to the dungeon.

Ais and the others walked at the opposite direction when the blonde girl glanced back to the towering structure at the center with anticipation.

"Off to the dungeon now?" Tione asked.

"Mhm…" She nodded.

"Well, that's fine but you could've invited us too if you want. You know you're not the only one who wants to get stronger, right?"

"Let me tag in too! It's been a while since we went together!" Tiona joined in, seemingly in it as well.

"I-If it's too much troubling. I'll just carry these back to the manor. I don't want to hinder you three on the way." Lefiya meekly answered.

"What are you talking about? The more the merrier. We'll meet up at the entrance once you finished, okay. Also, invite captain and the others too. I'm sure the Captain wouldn't resist a request from me." Tione asked.

"I-Iya… Asking them like that is a bit impossible." Lefiya deadpanned.

Eventually, the group split as Ais along with the Amazonesses turned their direction towards the Babel Tower where the dungeon is located.

"Haaaaaa… I just wished that Lefiya would try to be more open with us. It's not like we're in the 50th floor." Tiona said so with a remark.

"I understand where you're going but that's just how Lefiya is. She'll continue to grow more from now on."

"Yeah."

They arrived at the entrance but not long after they were greeted with a large line of adventurers that were standing at the seemingly crowd-like formation. The three hadn't noticed the entrance to be this crowded before and it seems like none of them were permitted to go to the dungeon for some reason.

"What's the commotion here? Why there are so many adventurers here? Another fight?" Tiona asked.

"Don't ask me. Maybe we can ask the people here." Tione proposed as she walked to a random adventurer who was standing and looking away from the entrance and towards the counter.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, he turned to look but was greeted by a fierce look from the Amazoness that quickly shattered his confidence.

"You… I wanted to know what's going on here. Mind you answer for us." She said so in a not-so-nice manner that scared the adventurer shitless.

"Kiiiiiii—Jormungand!" He paused, turning to the other two accomplices beside her. "A-Amazon and K-Kenki too?!"

"I asked what's going on around here? Why there are so many people here? I've never seen the counter to be filled this much."

"A-Ah, it's because there's something bad happened just now. A party of Level 1 adventurers arrived from the surface with severe wounds. The Guild staff is tending to them now so the queue is pretty much filled, you see." He explained, showing the commotion in front of them.

"Is what he said." Tione turned to the two. "It looks like another incident happened."

"I wonder what's the fuss about it. Care to find out?"

"Wouldn't hurt. What about you, Ais?"

The swordswoman nodded. "Fine with me."

"Alright." The group made their way to the center of the commotion.

Within moments, they made their way further and eventually spotted the cause of the incident.

There stood four adventurers who were laid to makeshift stretchers with each of them suffering severe injuries. The likes that no monster from the upper floors had given. A few guild staffs were present in the scene, tending to their wounds and some adventurers who were asked to help in the treating.

"W-What happened to them? They looked like they were brutally attacked." Tiona expressed her disdain of the sight.

At that moment, she also noticed that two of the adventurers were already beyond saving and stopped breathing. The other two were barely hanging on for dear life as they were desperately being treated as best they could from the other adventurers.

"What happened here?" Tione raised her voice a bit higher, catching the attention of some guild staff that took notice of their identities.

"Loki Familia?"

"What happened here? It looks like these aren't the workings of a monster from the Upper Floors."

"It is as you say. These adventurers were attacked on the Upper Floors. We don't know what happened. Only these people knew what took place and placed them into this kind of situation. We're currently trying our best to save them."

"She's awake!" Another guild staff shouted from the other side.

The group took notice and joined in the scene as Ais and the two circled at the conscious survivor who seemed to have undergone such a horrifying experience in her life.

"She's still in a critical state. We shouldn't force her too much. Focus on pressing the wound and apply some healing on it."

"Got it!"

When the adventurer tried to lift her hand, she was stopped by the guild staff who took hold of hers and reassured her.

"Rest. You're safe now. Don't force yourself."

However, the girl insisted as she turned her eyes over to the three with a pleading look.

"P...as… h...lp… them."

"She's trying to say something."

"P-Please… save everyone… a monster… There's still… four parties with us..."

Her speech was still vague but they were some bits that were readable and caught wind of.

"A monster attack. Which one? What about the others?" Tione asked.

Meanwhile, Ais was having a bad feeling. This was something similar to what she and the expedition encountered down at the 50th floor. The atmosphere, the dread, the timing. It's all too familiar.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut off when she heard the next words from the survivor.

"Black… dragon…"

"Black dragon. What's that supposed to mean?" They tried to ask but the girl couldn't muster enough strength to stay conscious and was succumbed to her wounds eventually.

"Shit! We're losing her! Get those healing potions real quick!"

The crowd grew noisy as the guild staffs continued to help them in the process.

On the other hand, Tiona and Tione noticed a different look from their fellow blonde friend who stood up just after hearing the last few words from the survivor just now. They watched her walk towards the nearest guild staff and began to speak.

"How many of them came out of the entrance?" She asked monotonously.

The staff, though surprised, tried to answer as best as she could. "U-Uhm, just four of them. Since then, we closed the entrance for any adventurers to venture further."

"Are there any signs of other adventurers still coming out from the 1st floor?"

"Well, that's…"

"Misha!" A voice called the staff from behind as she turned to her fellow staff member who just came from the entrance of the dungeon.

"Eina! What's the situation?"

"We found another group of survivors! They knew what happened! It's an Irregular!"

Collective forms of dread and shock filled the entire atmosphere as every other adventurer came to know the cause of the incident. Even Tiona and Tione found themselves in shock of the news of an Irregular emerging from the Upper Floors.

"This is bad! There are still some adventurers who weren't aware of the danger." Misha feared.

"Where's the Irregular last spotted?" Tiona asked.

"At the 12th floor."

Before Misha could even speak, she was cut off as Ais took off to the dungeon but not before leaving a few words as Tione and Tiona followed suit.

"Issue an emergency quest and have the Loki Familia deal with it."'

* * *

…

* * *

Natsu and Wendy straddled on their way as they finished their break and pressed on as usual. They made their way easily to the 11th floor and it wasn't till long when they found the entrance to the 12th floor.

"You're all set up?"

"Ready and prepared, Natsu-san."

The two made their last exchange as they close to the tunnel. However, as they approached, they noticed something wrong.

"What's that?" Wendy asked, failing to spot something from the distance which was seemingly approaching to them at a very slow rate.

With Natsu being the sharpest person in terms of hearing and sighting, he narrowed his eyelids as he focused his senses at the path in front of them, hoping an encounter before realizing what it is.

His eyes froze and it wasn't long when he saw it crashed to the ground, causing him to give chase in the process without warning.

"N-Natsu-san?!"

"It's a person!"

The girl stood in shock at the response before hastily followed the pinkette as they approached the person on sight.

Once arriving, they soon noticed the trail of blood that seemed to come from the person's midsection. Wendy fought the urge to look away since she wasn't accustomed to seeing a bloody sight in front of her. Instead, she only closed her eyes as Natsu flipped the person over, only to see a gaping hole where the blood came from.

"This is serious. With this kind of injury, he won't be able to survive without proper treatment. We need to close it somehow." Natsu began.

The person was still breathing but he showed no signs of speaking due to the immense pain and cold sensation that was creepy to him as death neared to him.

There was no time to waste.

"Wendy, I'm gonna try close to wound. Look away for a sec." Natsu turned to the girl in consideration.

"I-It's okay. If you were to close it with heat, you'll be giving him more pain than he already has. I'll pour some healing potion as you do it." She said defiantly.

"Are you sure?"

"I-I'm sure."

There was a short pause of hesitation from the pinkette before turning back to the wound with assurance.

"Alright, here goes."

Placing his hand just over the wound, he ignited his flames to a moderate manner as the wound seared high at the intense heat that sent huge waves of pain to the person, causing him to scream in the process.

"Sorry, but you'll have to endure it if you want to live." Natsu left him with some words as the scream continued. Wendy merely closed her eyes as the painful scream echoed at the tunnel for a moment whilst continuously pouring some healing potion over the wounded part to ease the pain and speed up the recovering process.

The flame closed the hole to its minimal size with the potion doing the rest of its work in closing it completely and stopped the bleeding altogether. The scream eventually faded as the person was able to endure it long enough and began stabilizing.

Natsu and Wendy cut some cloth from their bags and wrapped it around his stomach to keep the blood from dripping. They carefully carried the man and rested him towards the wall before applying some healing potions to some parts of his body to help him up.

Soon afterward, the effects of the potions have worked its best and the man flickered his eyes open for the first time without much effort.

"Don't move. You're still at your worst state. Move carelessly and the wound in your stomach would open up again. It's a miracle we got you on time and applied some healing potions to repair your damaged organ. If we were a few minutes late and you would've died, you know." Natsu warned.

"Here. Drink this." Wendy offered another healing potion to him to which he accepted.

"Where… where am I?" He asked, seemingly lightheaded to even remember to him.

"You're in the dungeon. We found you bleeding badly on the way here on the 11th floor." Natsu answered.

"Dungeon…" A long pause caught the person pondering for a moment when his memories suddenly caught in place and remembered what happened to him.

"W-We gotta get out of here right now!" The man started panicking.

Natsu and Wendy could only look back in confusion at this distress, totally unaware of the gravity of the situation they're in.

"Why?"

"A monster… There's a monster on the 12th floor… It killed my party and some others… If we knew that it's not just some ordinary monster, we would've fled as soon possible." He started trembling as his memories triggered some traumatic experience that caused him to become paranoid in the process. Enough so that made the two to stand up from their seat and look at the man in concern.

"A monster on the 12th floor?" Natsu said with slight surprise.

"You said about something about it being different. What kind of monster was it?" Wendy asked but was only met with a trembling silence with Natsu placing a hand on her shoulder, urging her not to pry any further. "I-I'm sorry…"

A long uncomfortable silence assailed in the air before Natsu stood up and faced the direction leading to the 12th floor.

"If a monster like that happens to be on the next floor then we should take it out. Leaving it be will only increase casualties, don't you think?" Natsu said but was stopped once again as the man shouted at him in horror.

"Did you hear what I just said?! That is no ordinary monster! That thing… we could only hope that some high-level adventurers would take care of it! It is not something a mere Level 1 adventurer can take it on alone! Let's get out of here before—"

A dreaded growl effectively cut the man short which also sent the two a chill down to their spine as they heard it from the walls just now. The atmosphere suddenly changed and faint sounds of tremor which appeared to be a stomp caught their ears as it grew louder and louder.

Natsu looked in the direction of the tunnel that led to the 12th floor which the sound and the roar originated from. Both of them have not heard such a sound from the monster that they encountered before.

No, this was different.

At that moment, the pinkette felt an uneasy feeling creeping up to his body as he continued to stare at the confines of the dark tunnel where the sounds grew even louder.

Something was approaching and it was no way in hell just a small monster.

The ground shook as stomps reverberated around them as if locking them in place in some imaginary container.

"N-Natsu-san. What was that?"

Wendy could not help but shiver as the growl grew closer to them. The growing fear was slowly eating at her as she watched at the shadows in front of them. It was then, a pair of red orbs caught their eyes as it emerged from the darkness.

And then, that is when they saw it.

A monster that they never imagined to have appeared in this part of the floor made its appearance.

Black tinted scales covered its body and its large four limbs supported a large body that spans over a few meters that were so big that it could not fit the small tunnel they were in. However, due to its supposed strength, it posed no problem for it to force itself inside. The walls shattered easily like loosened bricks as the monster stomped further in sight.

The man shuddered as soon as his eyes met the one responsible for his injuries.

"A-AaaAaaaahh—!" He shouted as the monster revealed itself to them, opening its mouth with razor-sharp fangs that were dipped with blood which seem to come from its victims.

When it noticed the two, it moved further as the ceiling around its position collapsed as it forced itself to move at the narrow confines, eventually spreading the cracks around it and make a bigger space for its size.

 **ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRR***

A menacing roar erupted from its mouth as it echoed throughout the floor and left the two in a state of shock after witnessing its roar firsthand.

Natsu remembered this from his Goddess.

 _Listen, Natsu. The dungeon has a lot of mysteries surrounding it and while we try to keep records of its dangers, it will always find a way to introduce a new threat to any intruders who try to invade its domain. However, there is one danger that stands out above the rest. Do you know what it is…?_

 _That's right._

He remembered it all too well.

An Irregular monster.

"An Irregular Infant Dragon!"

* * *

…

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it. The first major arc of the story. I tried making some of the canon events on the danmachi and fit it with my own such as the expedition of the Loki Familia to have a familiarity on it but other than that, there's nothing much of a plan to keep relying on the canon as I will be planning some arcs on my own. Also, notice the vague depiction of Natsu's past? Unfortunately, I won't be able to answer to that as it had a valid reason to be made so. It'll be revealed later on as the story progressed. :)**

 **What do you think of the chapter? Leave your thoughts on the reviews. It's deeply appreciated. Anyways, I'll see you all in the next chapter! Look forward to the rest of the arc on the next chapters. Peace!**

 **\- The wiErDos Association send their regards...**


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